[Snorlax94]

is the loss of taste and smell. We’ve all heard about this symptom, but with thousands of people downloading an app and entering any symptoms daily and tracking outcomes.

“Two-thirds of those who later tested positive for the virus — about 15,000 people — had self-reported the loss of taste and smell, the study found. Fever and cough — symptoms that have been considered the most reliable indicators of infection — ranked fourth and fifth on the list.

“At the moment, we’re mostly gathering data on the tip of the iceberg from those who are really sick and show up at the hospital. But there is a brobdingnagian iceberg below of people with mild symptoms who we know are major culprits for community spread,” said Dr. Chan, who is also chief of clinical and translational epidemiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We have no ability to track these people at home and that’s a real problem.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/health/coronavirus-symptoms-app.html

[Snorlax94]

is the loss of taste and smell. We’ve all heard about this symptom, but with thousands of people downloading an app and entering any symptoms daily and tracking outcomes.

“Two-thirds of those who later tested positive for the virus — about 15,000 people — had self-reported the loss of taste and smell, the study found. Fever and cough — symptoms that have been considered the most reliable indicators of infection — ranked fourth and fifth on the list.

“At the moment, we’re mostly gathering data on the tip of the iceberg from those who are really sick and show up at the hospital. But there is a brobdingnagian iceberg below of people with mild symptoms who we know are major culprits for community spread,” said Dr. Chan, who is also chief of clinical and translational epidemiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We have no ability to track these people at home and that’s a real problem.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/health/coronavirus-symptoms-app.html

[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

[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.

[82 Card]

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. 
  

Sounds like it can present itself as the typical day of an exhausted parent.

[82 Card]

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. 
  

Sounds like it can present itself as the typical day of an exhausted parent.