STATEN ISLAND, NY – A new medical study confirmed on Tuesday that loss of taste and smell is the most common symptom of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in people with mild symptoms.
The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, confirmed that almost 86% of people with a mild case of coronavirus have lost their sense of taste and smell.
However, only about 4% to 7% of people with “moderate to severe” COVID-19 infection reported loss of taste and smell, the researchers said.
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) in patients with COVID – 19 was studied from March 22, 2020 to June 3, 2020, among 2,500 patients from 18 European hospitals.
Mild patients were defined as patients with no evidence of viral pneumonia or hypoxia and were commonly seen at home. Moderate patients with COVID – 19 showed clinical signs of pneumonia, but no sign of severe pneumonia. Patients with severe COVID – 19 were defined as individuals with clinical signs of severe pneumonia and difficulty breathing.
The loss of consciousness remained for several periods of time, the researchers found.
“OD disappeared in 95% of patients in relation to objective olfactory evaluations in six months,” announced the researchers.
The researchers also reported that younger patients with COVID-19 were more likely to lose taste and smell than older patients.