Loss of smell is often one of the first symptoms noticed by people infected with the coronavirus, and often one of the only symptoms to surface, a new study finds.
Now, a new study of about 2,500 COVID-19 patients found that a faulty nose affects mostly those with mild cases — nearly 86% — while only slightly affecting people with moderate illnesses (4.5%) and severe-to-critical cases (6.9%).
Although 95% of people included in the study redeemed their sense of smell by six months post infection, some experienced the symptom for longer.
The findings were published Wednesday in the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Researchers analyzed self-reported answers to an online questionnaire from 2,581 COVID-19 patients staying in 18 different European hospitals between March 22 and June 3.
