Covid symptoms: What is anosmia? How long do symptoms last?

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Coronavirus can affect people differently, but many people report a loss or change in their sense of taste and smell. These symptoms can be frustrating and can have an impact on people’s daily life.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

The main symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss or change to sense of smell and taste.

If anyone has any of these symptoms, the NHS recommends people book a Covid test immediately to check if they have Covid-19.

People with symptoms of coronavirus, or those who live in the same household as someone with symptoms, must self-isolate until a test result comes back negative, in order to prevent any infection being passed to another person.

If a test comes back as positive, the entire household must isolate in line with the NHS guidance.

What is anosmia and parosmia?

Anosmia is a loss of smell, while parosmia is when the smell of things changes.

There are also other conditions such as phantosmia, when people smell things that aren’t there – such as smoke or burnt toast.

A reduced sense of smell is known as hyposmia.

Lots of things can cause a change in sense of smell, such as a cold or flu.

A sinus infection like sinusitis, an allergy such as hay fever or nasal polyps can also cause symptoms to develop.

However, a loss or change to someone’s sense of smell or taste could also indicate they have coronavirus.

People experiencing any changes to their sense of smell or taste are advised to book a Covid test for this reason.

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How long do the symptoms last?

Many people report a change or loss of sense of smell when they have Covid-19.

The symptom was added to the main Covid symptom list in the UK back in May 2020.

Some Covid sufferers have reported suffering from a change or loss of smell for a long time after initially testing positive for the virus.

But generally according to the NHS website, people who have lost or experienced a change in their sense of smell may find it goes back to normal “in a few weeks or months”.

All cases of people experiencing changes with their sense of smell, who find it does not go back to normal in a few weeks, should contact their GP.

Treating the cause may help relieve symptoms, while smell training is also available to help some people.

In some cases, changes can be permanent, and the NHS add: “If you have lost your sense of smell, you may not be able to smell things like gas leaks, fires and food that’s gone off. Fifth Sense has some safety advice if you have anosmia.”

Further information is available via the NHS website HERE. 

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