Finally, an interesting snippet from the FT: Researchers on multiple continents say an usual symptom has emerged in the majority of Covid-19 patients: a loss of the sense of smell.
Whoa, 2 buck chuck would be great?
does it return after recovery?
I’ve had a considerable loss of smell and taste resulting from a bad cold/flu already twice in my life and smell and taste returned after about two weeks. As far as I know, a permanent loss is extremely rare.
I’m an ENT Doc and this is indeed what we’ve been hearing from our colleagues in Europe, China, and Iran. Anosmia (lack of smell) is a very common symptom of Covid , even if people don’t get the other severe symptoms of the illness. Our ER doc friends in NOLA, California, and Wisconsin, have also stated this. Some have stated anosmia is the most common prodrome symptom in patients under the age of 40.
So far we are unclear on the duration of this symptom.
A good friend (and serious wine lover) lost his sense of smell after a flu-like illness about 20 years ago. He had a great cellar, but after 5 years he started to sell it off. Fortunately, he
didn’t get very far as he soon began to recover, slowly. He feels like full recovery took 10 years from the initial loss. I assumed this was some auto-immune thing since it is sporadic and seems to happen after the illness.
If your biggest worry about surviving COVID-19 is not being able to appreciate the nose of 59 Burgundy then think about the survivors of the person who died so you could have a ventilator.
Really hope it’s temporary, it would be a huge downer.
Seriously, Doug?! You are throwing that line out?
How sad to introduce that petty and trite statement. Of course we are all thinking of the greater good here and wine is o the back burner at this time. But kudos to you, you superstar for the greater public good. Captain virtue!
Believe it or not the recognition of anosmia being a very common prodrome here is actually quite important because the patients can progress very quickly. The patient that was seen yesterday with lack of smell and a normal chest X-ray can progress to pulmonary compromise, intubation, and death with in a few short days. This disease moves extremely quick and any heads up that doctors can get on that can make a big difference in outcomes. So yes, anosmia is a very important thing to recognize in this context if it leads to better anticipation in our understanding of the surge of disease progression.
So if anyone here over the age of 60 reads the thread after losing their sense of smell and now decides to go the ER sooner rather than later and gets a jump on a possible fatal infection I think that’s a good thing. And I’m betting you do too.
Hopefully we all continue to take this seriously and live appropriately cautious. Please everyone be careful.
I’m awarding you the AHoTD
I’m referring to the OP, making a direct correlation to wine (which is the reason I responded). This one is about as bad as the question asking if the collapse of the world economy would create better opportunities at wine auctions. I do take wine seriously and if I’m sick (as I was last summer with a wicked respiratory thing) I stop tasting until I can smell. My partner had a great palate built on old-world wines until robbed of it by Stage 4 Oropharyngeal cancer and radiation so I know a bit about diminished ability to appreciate wine that doesn’t come back. We live with it. Some people have bigger problems.
I’m sorry, what does that mean?
I’ve had smell loss because of allergy 2 years ago. Salt and water mix helped a lot, sprayed it into my nose 3 times a day and after a week I was fine. Pretty sure it’s temporary with corona too.
Welcome to the board Sarah!
Hint: The oTD stands for “of the day.”
I don’t think anyone else found anything inappropriate in the OP, and your post was really snotty.
Here are the opening paragraphs of a NY Times story today on this symptom:
A mother who was infected with the coronavirus couldn’t smell her baby’s full diaper. Cooks who can usually name every spice in a restaurant dish can’t smell curry or garlic, and food tastes bland. Others say they can’t pick up the sweet scent of shampoo or the foul odor of kitty litter.
Anosmia, the loss of sense of smell, and ageusia, an accompanying diminished sense of taste, have emerged as peculiar telltale signs of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and possible markers of infection.
On Friday, British ear, nose and throat doctors, citing reports from colleagues around the world, called on adults who lose their senses of smell to isolate themselves for seven days, even if they have no other symptoms, to slow the disease’s spread. The published data is limited, but doctors are concerned enough to raise warnings…
Welcome!
I think the loss from flu may be different medically. Not sure. I suffered this 30 years ago with the flu and it took months for my sense of taser and smell to recover.
You’ve people get it once or twice? Or never? I wish I was that lucky. I tend to lose my smell and taste something like 80% of the time whenever I have common cold - i.e. once or twice a year. Normally it coincides with my nose getting stuffy, but I’ve had anosmia several times when my nose is quite dry and air is flowing there quite freely yet I don’t smell anything and can taste only the five (-ish) basic tastes, so it’s obviously not related to nose just being blocked.
However, I’m not sure if this Corona thing is different, since true ageusia (inability to taste basic tastes) is a completely different story and I don’t know if you can get that from the Coronavirus as well.
plenty of people under stress at the moment, so cut each other some slack please
… and if you think someone is being an asshole, don’t be an asshole back.
It’s been in the news yesterday. Reports from France and Iran of this being a reasonably common (but not universal) symptom. Also shared by the NHS in the UK as a possible indicator, but that might be off the back of the French reports. The reports are of a complete loss of taste, but I’ve not seen any suggestion this is permanent.