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Research to correlate Covid-19 and loss of smell (anosmia)

Grant number: unknown

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • Start & end year

    N/A

  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $0

  • Funder

    University of São Paulo

  • Principal Investigator

    Alexandre Bruni and Bettina and Deborah and Isaias Cardoso and Malnic and Schechtman and Gleze

  • Research Location

    Brazil

  • Lead Research Institution

    N/A

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Clinical characterisation and management

  • Research Subcategory

    Disease pathogenesis

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Unspecified

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Unspecified

  • Vulnerable Population

    Unspecified

  • Occupations of Interest

    Unspecified

Abstract

In addition to the symptoms in Covid-19 patients already described by the WHO, reports of sudden loss of smell and taste have been growing every day, and are also starting to appear here in Brazil. Therefore, the loss of smell could represent another symptom, which when combined with the others, may indicate a greater chance of the person having contracted the coronavirus. This sign could be used as a warning to start more intensive treatment before the disease gets worse. The scarcity of tests to detect the coronavirus prevents the identification of asymptomatic ones, not only in Brazil, but in most countries. The use of an additional symptom such as loss of smell could in this emergency case work as a simple, widely accessible and low-cost indicator, to select who should be isolated or preferably tested for coronavirus infection.