[BostonCard]

Here's the original article, in Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0916-2

Among the 18,401 who had undergone a SARS-CoV-2 test, the proportion of participants who reported loss of smell and taste was higher in those with a positive test result (4,668 of 7,178 individuals; 65.03%) than in those with a negative test result (2,436 of 11,223 participants; 21.71%) (odds ratio = 6.74; 95% confidence interval = 6.31–7.21).

Interesting that such a large number of patients without COVID-19 reported loss of a sense of smell, which shows just how suggestible people are.  If they think they might have COVID-19, and know that COVID-19 can cause anosmia, all of a sudden, they perceive a loss of sense of smell.

BTW, similar study from a Harvard group:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar...9620303797

Chief among the team’s findings:

• Fever is not a reliable indicator. If present, it could manifest only with mild elevations in temperature.
  
• COVID-19 may begin with various permutations of cough without fever, sore throat, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, body aches, back pain and fatigue
  
• It can also present with severe body aches and exhaustion.
  
• A reliable early hint is loss of the sense of smell in the first days of disease onset.
  
• In serious COVID-19, shortness of breath is a critical differentiator from other common illnesses.
  
• Almost no one, however, develops shortness of breath, a cardinal sign of the illness, in the first day or two of disease onset.
  
• Shortness of breath can appear four or more days after onset of other symptoms.
  
• The first days after shortness of breath begins are a critical period that requires close and frequent monitoring of patients by telemedicine visits or in-person exams.
  
• The most critical variable to monitor is how the shortness of breath changes over time. Oxygen saturation levels can also be a valuable clue. Blood oxygen levels can drop precipitously with exertion, even in previously healthy people.
  
• A small number of people may never develop shortness of breath, but may have other symptoms that could signal low oxygen levels, including dizziness or falling.
  
• Anxiety—common among worried patients with viral symptoms suggestive of COVID-19—can also induce shortness of breath. 
  

BC

[BostonCard]

Here's the original article, in Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0916-2

Among the 18,401 who had undergone a SARS-CoV-2 test, the proportion of participants who reported loss of smell and taste was higher in those with a positive test result (4,668 of 7,178 individuals; 65.03%) than in those with a negative test result (2,436 of 11,223 participants; 21.71%) (odds ratio = 6.74; 95% confidence interval = 6.31–7.21).

Interesting that such a large number of patients without COVID-19 reported loss of a sense of smell, which shows just how suggestible people are.  If they think they might have COVID-19, and know that COVID-19 can cause anosmia, all of a sudden, they perceive a loss of sense of smell.

BTW, similar study from a Harvard group:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar...9620303797

Chief among the team’s findings:

• Fever is not a reliable indicator. If present, it could manifest only with mild elevations in temperature.
  
• COVID-19 may begin with various permutations of cough without fever, sore throat, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, body aches, back pain and fatigue
  
• It can also present with severe body aches and exhaustion.
  
• A reliable early hint is loss of the sense of smell in the first days of disease onset.
  
• In serious COVID-19, shortness of breath is a critical differentiator from other common illnesses.
  
• Almost no one, however, develops shortness of breath, a cardinal sign of the illness, in the first day or two of disease onset.
  
• Shortness of breath can appear four or more days after onset of other symptoms.
  
• The first days after shortness of breath begins are a critical period that requires close and frequent monitoring of patients by telemedicine visits or in-person exams.
  
• The most critical variable to monitor is how the shortness of breath changes over time. Oxygen saturation levels can also be a valuable clue. Blood oxygen levels can drop precipitously with exertion, even in previously healthy people.
  
• A small number of people may never develop shortness of breath, but may have other symptoms that could signal low oxygen levels, including dizziness or falling.
  
• Anxiety—common among worried patients with viral symptoms suggestive of COVID-19—can also induce shortness of breath. 
  

BC