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

Hi @nclarke001, I can imagine this is scary. Have you completely lost the sense of taste and smell since Monday or has some of it started to come back?

Here's some information that might help you figure out the cause and know what questions to ask your doctor.
- Impaired Taste https://www.healthline.com/health/taste-impaired
- Why Might My Sense of Taste Change? https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/oral-sense-taste-change#1

Have you recently changed any medications or been ill? Do you have an underlying condition that may affect your sense of taste?

Hi, @nclarke001 - I also wanted to welcome you to Mayo Clinic Connect. How are you doing today? Are you still noting no sense of taste or smell?

A loss if taste and smell is a COVID-19 symptom, be mindful of other symptoms.

Only if it’s a sudden loss ( but they are still trying to prove it) ..loss of taste and smell can also happen as you get older or if you have nasal polyps and seasonal allergies

That's true, @veganmom, about still trying to prove sudden loss of taste and smell are connected to COVID-19. It's correct that loss of taste and smell are possible symptoms, yet researchers continue to learn more about it. Many unknowns yet about COVID-19.

You might take a look at this article, https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-symptoms-loss-smell-taste.html, which links to a statement from The Royal College of Surgeons of England https://www.entuk.org/sites/default/files/files/Loss%20of%20sense%20of%20smell%20as%20marker%20of%20COVID.pdf

@nclarke001 - how are you doing?

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

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?

Thank you for the reply. Will look closer for more articles and will keep on following the guidelines.

I’m no expert, but I read losing sense of smell and taste may be the first sign of Coronavirus. I hope it’s not in your case. OOps, I had not seen all the replies and someone already mentioned this. I can’t delete it.

@kaliope good name my niece,s name is this also she is 3