HealthDay Reports: Loss of Smell May Signal Milder Case of COVID-19 — Study
A new study finds that loss of smell — one of the newest coronavirus symptoms listed on the CDC website — is more likely to occur in people with mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 than in those with more severe illness.
Loss of Smell May Signal Milder Case of COVID-19: Study
WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Loss of smell is more likely to occur in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 than in those with more severe illness, a new study finds.
This information could give health care providers an early indication of which patients may require hospitalization, according to the University of California, San Diego Health researchers.
"One of the immediate challenges for health care providers is to determine how to best treat persons infected by the novel coronavirus," said study first author Dr. Carol Yan, a rhinologist and head and neck surgeon.
"If they display no or mild symptoms, can they return home to self-quarantine or will they likely require hospitalization? These are crucial questions for hospitals trying to efficiently and effectively allocate finite medical resources," she said in a university news release.
In previous research, Yan and her colleagues found that loss of smell is a common early symptom, following fever and fatigue.