Loss of smell is more important than fever in diagnosing Corona

With the succession of data on loss of smell as a symptom of the new Corona virus infection that causes "Covid-19" disease, indications are emerging that it is even more important than a symptom of fever, which raises the question of whether we should start using the smell test to diagnose the disease.

For example, Nadine Fakih (40 years) narrates her experience to Anadolu Agency, saying, "I lost my sense of smell and taste, and I couldn't breathe, but the doctor assured me that I did not have a lung problem in order to stay in the hospital, especially since I felt symptoms 6 days after the infection was transmitted to me."

The scientific name for the loss of the sense of smell is (Hyposmia), and according to a study, the loss of this sense of 4 smells may indicate infection with the emerging corona virus, whose scientific name is "SARS Cove 2".

The study included 590 participants through an online platform, and they answered questions about loss of smell, taste and other symptoms associated with "Covid-19", and was published in the journal "PLOS Medicine".

The researchers found that people who notice a loss in their ability to smell garlic, onion, coffee and perfume scents should isolate themselves and request a test to detect the Coronavirus.

And according to another study also published in the journal PLoS Medicine, the prevalence of loss of smell was 25%.

The graphic below shows 9 of the most prominent symptoms of the Corona virus, and to find out a detailed list of symptoms of Corona infection, click on this link.

Should we start with the smell test to diagnose corona?

This question is asked by Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, who co-developed the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app.

In an article published by the conversation site, Spector said that one of the best ways to contain the spread of "Covid-19" is to quickly identify people infected with the Coronavirus and prevent them from transmitting it to others.

He added that temperature checks are now used as a general screening tool to identify people with "Covid-19", yet there is little scientific evidence that temperature checks enable reliable detection.

Spector said that the data from the "The Zoe Covid Sims Study App" indicates that more than half of people (57%) who test positive for "Covid-19" never develop a fever, while those who have a high degree They suffer from the heat for only two days on average, adding that it is not surprising that temperature checks at airports fail to detect most of the injured.

High percentage

Spector indicated that by writing in The Lancet with the latest application data, he and his colleagues highlighted that 65% of adults who tested positive for "Covid-19" reported loss of smell (this is a higher percentage higher than what was reported. The study that we mentioned earlier from the scientific journal PLOS ONE), with a large percentage of them not experiencing a high temperature at all, while only 40% of people who tested positive for "Covid-19 ″" had a fever.

For about 16% of people who have tested positive for the virus, loss of smell is the only symptom they have, and most importantly, during infection with "Covid-19, smell loss lasts about 7 days, and the duration is often longer, while the fever lasts for 3 days." Only days for most people.

In general, the data indicate that sudden loss of smell is a more common early symptom of "Covid-19" than a fever in all age groups.

Based on these results, Spector said, using "smell tests" rather than temperature checks might be a better way to screening on a large scale in places such as airports and hospitality sites, and while it sounds like a great idea in theory, unfortunately there is a problem.

Why are "smelling tests" a bad idea?

Spector answers this question by:

1- Decreased sense of smell is very common. Approximately 20% of adults suffer from some degree of loss of smell, a number that rises to 80% for those over the age of 75.

It is unlikely that any of these people would have any evidence of preexisting odor loss that would exempt them from any limitations of an olfactory test.

2- When we looked at the data from our app, we found that most people took about one week to regain their sense of smell after contracting Covid-19 ″, but about one in 10 people loses their sense of smell for 3 weeks or more for a much longer period than they could possibly be. Be prepared.

3- Many of us lose the sense of smell when we suffer from a stuffy nose due to colds, sinusitis, or hay fever, and although a stuffy nose is not considered a symptom of "Covid-19, the simple smell test may not be able to distinguish between Monday.

This means that although smell tests may identify people with "Covid-19" at the time of infection, there will also be a large number of non-infectious people who may experience loss of smell on the test and face unnecessary restrictions.

"Therefore, while the smell test may not be the solution, a sudden change in the sense of smell is still probably the best indicator of early infection with Covid-19 infection," Spector says, "and our application showed that the symptoms are less common in children, but this may be due to the unlikely Observed unless they are tested. "

Spector concluded that it is easy to check changes in your sense of smell and can be done daily from home using simple household items such as coffee, lemon, herbs or smelly cheese, so if you discover any sudden changes in your or your children's sense of smell, you should isolate yourself and submit. To test "Covid-19" as soon as possible.