די הויפּט אָנעס symptoms of the COVID-19 coronavirus are now well known: fever, fatigue, headache, cough and sore throat, body aches, respiratory discomfort. In people developing more serious forms, there are breathing difficulties, which can lead to hospitalization in intensive care and death. But health specialists warn about the emergence of new, more singular symptoms, namely sudden loss of smell, without nasal obstruction, and a total disappearance of taste. Signs which are called respectively anosmia and ageusia, and which would have the particularity of affecting patients as well as asymptomatic people.
In France, the alert was given by the National Professional ENT Council (CNPORL), which explains in a press release that “people with such symptoms must remain confined to their homes and watch for the appearance of other symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (fever, cough, dyspnea) ”. The data are preliminary, but the organization calls on doctors “not to prescribe corticosteroids by general or local route”, although this is the standard treatment. In fact, this type of medication, like ניט-סטערוידאַל אַנטי-ינפלאַמאַטאָרי דרוגס, are associated with an increased risk of complications from the infection, according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health.
A diagnostic tool for doctors?
“In the current state of knowledge, it is not known whether nosewashes are at risk of viral dissemination along the airways. It is therefore recommended not to prescribe it in this context, especially since these anosmias / dysgeusias are not usually accompanied by disabling nasal obstruction. Adds the organization. One thing is certain, however: the natural course of these anosmias often seems favorable, but affected patients should ask a medical opinion by teleconsutation to find out if specific treatment is needed. In cases of persistent anosmia, the patient will be referred to an ENT service specializing in rhinology.
The Director General of Health, Jérôme Salomon, also mentioned this symptom in a press point, confirming “that you have to call your doctor and ויסמייַדן זיך-מעדאַקיישאַן without specialist opinion ”, and specifying that it remained however“ quite rare ”and“ generally ”observed in young patients with“ mild ”forms of the disease. Same recent warning in England from the “British Association of Otorhinolaryngology” (ENT UK). The organization indicates that “in South Korea, where testing for the coronavirus has been more widespread, 30% of positive patients presented anosmia as the main symptom, in otherwise mild cases. “
The same instructions apply to these patients
Experts also say they have found “a growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients with anosmia without other symptoms. Iran has reported a sudden increase in cases of isolated anosmia, and colleagues in the United States, France and northern Italy have the same experience. “Experts say they are worried about this phenomenon, because it implies that the people concerned are” hidden “carriers of the coronavirus and can therefore contribute to its spread. “It could be used as a screening tool to help identify אַסימפּטאָמאַטיק פּאַטיענץ, who would then be better informed on the procedure to follow. », They conclude.
Symptoms to watch out for, therefore, because the people concerned must, according to the Directorate General of Health, confine oneself as a precaution and wear a mask like other patients. As a reminder, in the event of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, it is advisable to call your attending physician or a doctor by teleconsultation, and to contact the 15th only in the event of difficulty breathing or discomfort, and to isolate oneself strictly at home. Doctors are invited to always look for this symptom in front of a patient suspected of Covid-19. A study has also been launched within the AP-HP on around thirty cases, to find out which profiles are most concerned.