[oldalum]

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.

The authors' analysis indicates that suggestibility from media attention was more likely in the UK based on temporal pattern, but that temporal pattern was not present in the U.S. sample. Some of that anosmia in patients without Covid-19 is real; there is an underlying prevalence in the population, especially in the older population, that could be brought out when you ask about it (depends in part on how the question is worded). And there is probably a seasonal bump now due seasonal allergic rhinitis, which might produce other symptoms such as a cough that would lead people to get tested for Covid-19.

[oldalum]

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.

The authors' analysis indicates that suggestibility from media attention was more likely in the UK based on temporal pattern, but that temporal pattern was not present in the U.S. sample. Some of that anosmia in patients without Covid-19 is real; there is an underlying prevalence in the population, especially in the older population, that could be brought out when you ask about it (depends in part on how the question is worded). And there is probably a seasonal bump now due seasonal allergic rhinitis, which might produce other symptoms such as a cough that would lead people to get tested for Covid-19.