Loss of smell and taste is a symptom of Covid-19, but patients infected with coronaviruses that cause the common cold can also lose taste and smell because of congestion. The new research, described in a letter to the editor published in the journal Rhinology , suggests that loss of taste and smell in Covid-19 patients isn't simply due to congestion in the nose. Philpott and his colleagues studied smell and taste function in 10 Covid-19 patients, 10 acute cold patients and 10 healthy people who served as a control group. The researchers say their findings indicate that Covid-19 patients are experiencing a direct loss of the ability to taste, rather than an indirect loss of taste because the sense of smell is impaired. The researchers say it is likely that a portion of the Covid-19 patients will experience persistent loss of taste after they clear the virus.

Source: CNN August 19, 2020 19:52 UTC