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Sudden loss of taste or smell. What could this mean?

Women's Health | Last Active: Mar 31, 2020 | Replies (16)

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@luisochoa93

Sudden loss of smell and taste senses? But, not other COVID-19 symptoms confirmed for days Tues-Sat. (Today). No fever at all.

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Replies to "Sudden loss of smell and taste senses? But, not other COVID-19 symptoms confirmed for days Tues-Sat...."

Hi @luisochoa93, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I have moved your message to this existing discussion about the sudden loss of smell and taste, and whether this may be a sign of the COVID-19 virus. Click VIEW & REPLY to scroll through past messages.

As stated earlier, researchers are still trying to determine if sudden loss of taste and/or smell may be early warning signs of infection. See this news article:

- Not just smell: Loss of taste may also be COVID-19 warning sign https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/not-just-smell-loss-of-taste-may-also-be-covid-19-warning-sign-1.4869325

Article excerpt
"The World Health Organization (WHO) does not list the loss of the ability to either smell or taste as known symptoms of COVID-19, but has been watching closely as experts in several countries study the issue.

Asked about the reliability of the claims at a press conference on Monday, the head of the WHO's emerging diseases unit told reporters that she had seen "quite a few reports" of patients losing one or both senses in the early stage of infection. "This is something that we need to look into to really capture if this is one of the early signs and symptoms of COVID-19," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said. "We don't have the answer to that yet.""

Luis, whether your situation indicates a possible infection or not, you should follow all recommendations for someone with a suspected case, namely stay home, self isolate, drink plenty of fluids, and wash your hands. You'll find more details in these articles from Mayo Clinic News Network.

- What to do if you suspect COVID-19 https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-to-do-if-you-suspect-covid-19/
- What happens to your body when you have COVID-19? https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-happens-to-your-body-when-your-have-covid-19/

Have you had any changes in your breathing?