In a new paper, researchers suggest that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the sudden onset of difficulty with smell (anosmia) or taste (dysgeusia), with no other nasal congestion or other symptoms, should cause healthcare providers to exercise increased caution.
The research was conducted by a team in the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The team consolidated their front-line observations and recommendations regarding early symptoms of patients infected with COVID-19.
They suggest that new-onset anosmia likely serves as a reliable marker of COVID-19 infection.
Diagnosing asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic carriers early and advising self-quarantine is essential to control the spread of this virus.
By diagnosing patients infected by COVID-19 early in their disease process, scientists are essentially going after the kindling before it becomes a forest fire.
Aimed at strengthening the COVID-19 diagnostic criteria for healthcare providers, the article offers recommendations to those treating, testing and diagnosing patients presenting with rapid onset difficulty with smell or taste.
The team hopes this information is rapidly disseminated to other health care providers.
Included in the article are recommendations for healthcare providers with patients who report a sudden loss of smell or taste, but do not have nasal congestion or other symptoms that accompany allergies or the common cold.
The team says healthcare providers should have a high index of suspicion for COVID-19 in patients who present with new-onset anosmia as the only symptom.
The lead author of the study is Col. (Dr.) Michael Xydakis, an ear, nose and throat surgeon.
The study is published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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