A team of scientists from Spain found that loss of smell is a “good” symptom of the coronavirus. This is stated in a study published in the journal Infection.
Specialists from the San Carlos Clinical Hospital and the universities of Spain studied the data of 5868 patients who had recovered from COVID-19. Among them, violations of smell and taste were found in 12.41 percent of women and 8.67 percent of men, and more often this symptom is observed in people under 65 years of age.
Scientists have found that such symptoms indicate a strong immune response, which, in turn, reduces the risk of developing a cytokine storm, potentially leading to the death of the patient. “The presence of anosmia is important for the diagnosis of SARS CoV-2 infection, but may also be important in patient classification and therapeutic decisions,” reads the study abstract.
At the end of 2020, doctors at the Mayo Clinic in the United States named the early symptoms of coronavirus preceding respiratory manifestations of COVID-19. These included loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is emphasized that these are not the most common symptoms and can last as little as one day.