SELF-REPORTED SUDDEN ONSET HYPOSMIA: AN EARLY PRESENTATION OF SARS COV-2 INFECTION

Abstract

The present outbreak of COVID-19 started in December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province in China. The World health organization labeled the disease a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The disease is caused by a virus called severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2). The individuals may remain asymptomatic or present with symptoms of infection. The common presenting symptoms include but are not limited to fever, dry or productive cough, malaise. Contrary to the typical clinical presentation of COVID-19, the patients may present with non-specific symptoms of olfactory or gustatory origin. The olfactory symptoms include hyposmia or anosmia. Physicians may be vigilant to screen and isolate patients with sudden onset hyposmia or anosmia, an early indication of infection that will minimize person-to-person transmission and will contain the virus spread.

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, Hyposmia, Anosmia, Physician.