Can throat infection cause loss of smell and taste

Q: What causes loss of taste and smell besides Covid?

These include diabetes, Bells palsy, Huntingtons disease, Kleinfelter syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Pagets disease of bone, and Sjogrens syndrome. If you cant taste or smell after a few days, talk to your doctor to rule out other conditions.

As you are aware, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The most prevalent symptoms of this infection are fever, cough, shortness of breath, phlegm production, bodyache, joint pain, headache, diarrhea, runny nose, and sore throat.

Table of Contents Show

Smell loss is much more profound in the Covid-19 patents, and they are less able to identify smells.
The Weekend That Was: Bachchans, Anupam Kher Family Under Covid Cloud; All’s Well, Says Hem...
The C-Strike In B-Town
What causes loss of taste and smell besides Covid?
Can viral infection cause loss of taste and smell?
Does loss of smell and taste always mean Covid?
What is the cause of loss of taste and smell when sick?

The spread of the COVID-19 infection in Europe has highlighted a new atypical presentation of the disease- anosmia and ageusia – sudden loss of smell and taste, which may even occur in the absence of nose block. The occurrence of smell dysfunction in viral infections is not new; in fact, many viral infections may lead to temporary loss of smell and loss of taste through an inflammatory reaction of the nasal mucosa, resulting in rhinorrhea or runny nose. However, smell dysfunction linked to COVID-19 infection seems peculiar, as it may not necessarily be associated with runny nose or nose block.

A study was conducted in Europe, involving 417 patients from 12 European hospitals, all diagnosed with mild-moderate Covid-19 infection. The study identified both loss of smell and taste functions as significant early symptoms in the clinical presentation of the European COVID-19 infection. In their paper published recently, they emphasize the need for the international scientific community, to recognize sudden loss of smell and taste as important symptoms of the COVID-19 infection.

How is this information relevant for us? A highly challenging aspect of Covid-19, besides the fact that it spreads in exponential numbers, is that its carriers do not have Covid-specific symptoms and they would move in the community, totally oblivious of the risk they pose to others. This makes identification and isolation of carriers and those with mild non-specific symptoms very critical for preventing the spread of infection.

Alberta Health Services has not yet adopted the sudden loss of smell and taste as a criterion for availing Covid-19 testing. Nevertheless, we can use it as a simple home-based test to check if our sense of smell is decreasing suddenly, even before it has become prominent enough to cause concern. If we do realize that our sense of smell has been decreasing in the absence of a runny nose or nose block, we could self-isolate for 14 days and protect our family members and the larger community.

- Padmaja Genesh, Learning Specialist at the Alzheimer Society of Calgary

Synopsis

Smell loss is much more profound in the Covid-19 patents, and they are less able to identify smells.

iStock There are altogether different things going on when it comes to smell and taste loss for Covid-19 patients, compared to those with a bad cold.

LONDON: Although Covid-19 patients may lose their sense of smell, they can breathe freely, do not tend to have a runny or blocked nose, and cannot detect bitter or sweet tastes, a study published on Wednesday has found.

The study is the first to compare how people with COVID-19 smell and taste disorders differ from those with other causes of upper respiratory tract infections, according to the researchers, including those from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK.

The researchers hope that their work could help develop smell and taste tests for fast COVID-19 screening - in primary care and emergency departments.

The findings, published in the journal Rhinology, lend weight to the theory that COVID-19 infects the brain and central nervous system.

"The loss of smell and taste is a prominent symptom of COVID-19, however it is also a common symptom of having a bad cold,” said lead researcher Carl Philpott, a professor at UEA's Norwich Medical School.

« Back to recommendation stories

I don't want to see these stories because

They are not relevant to meThey disrupt the reading flowOthers

SUBMIT

“We wanted to find out exactly what differentiates COVID -19 smell loss with the kind of smell loss you might have with a cold and blocked-up nose," Philpott said.

The research team carried out smell and taste tests on 10 COVID-19 patients, 10 people with bad colds and a control group of 10 healthy people -- all matched for age and sex.

"We wanted to see if their smell and taste test scores could help discriminate between COVID-19 patients and those with a heavy cold,” Philpott said.

The researchers noted that COVID-19 behaves differently to other respiratory viruses, for example by causing the body's immune system to over-react, known as a cytokine storm, and by affecting the nervous system.

They found that smell loss was much more profound in the COVID-19 patents, and they were less able to identify smells, and were not able to identify bitter or sweet tastes.

The researchers said it was this loss of true taste which seemed to be present in the COVID-19 patients compared to those with a cold.

"This is very exciting because it means that smell and taste tests could be used to discriminate between COVID-19 patients and people with a regular cold or flu,” Philpott said.

"Although such tests could not replace formal diagnostic tools such as throat swabs, they could provide an alternative when conventional tests are not available or when rapid screening is needed -- particularly at the level of primary care, in emergency departments or at airports,” he added.

The study also shows that there are altogether different things going on when it comes to smell and taste loss for Covid-19 patients, compared to those with a bad cold, the researchers said.

The Weekend That Was: Bachchans, Anupam Kher Family Under Covid Cloud; All’s Well, Says Hem...

The C-Strike In B-Town

On Saturday night, just when the country was about to go to sleep, the news of the country's biggest superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, testing positive for coronavirus broke, sending shockwaves around the nation. In the hours that followed, more members of the Bachchan family tested positive for Covid-19 and Anupam Kher’s family, too, was hit by the corona-crisis.

On Sunday morning, the country woke up to rumours of Hema Malini and the Kapoor family testing positive for Covid-19. Here’s a detailed rundown of what transpired over the weekend - who tested positive and who didn’t.

What causes loss of taste and smell besides Covid?

These include diabetes, Bell's palsy, Huntington's disease, Kleinfelter syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Paget's disease of bone, and Sjogren's syndrome. If you can't taste or smell after a few days, talk to your doctor to rule out other conditions.

Can viral infection cause loss of taste and smell?

With COVID-19, more than 8 in 10 people may briefly lose their sense of smell. Along with it, they lose their ability to taste. Researchers are still trying to determine how and why the COVID-19 virus affects smell and taste. One study suggests the virus doesn't directly damage olfactory sensory neurons.

Does loss of smell and taste always mean Covid?

“It can be due to nasal or sinus inflammation, or other viral infections distinct from COVID-19. And it can even occur as a result of some neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's or dementia or vitamin deficiencies. Rarely tumors can present with smell loss.”

What is the cause of loss of taste and smell when sick?

Any viral or bacterial infection that causes a stuffy or runny nose—such as a sinus infection (sinusitis), the common cold, or flu (influenza)—can block odor receptors, resulting in a temporary reduction of smell and taste. This is why food often tastes less flavorful when you have a cold.