Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2020 Apr 3:14:ed98.
doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2020.ed98. eCollection 2020.

Anosmia and ageusia are emerging as symptoms in patients with COVID-19: What does the current evidence say?

Beth Russell  1   2 , Charlotte Moss  1   2 , Anne Rigg  3 , Claire Hopkins  4 , Sophie Papa  4   5 , Mieke Van Hemelrijck  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Anosmia and ageusia are emerging as symptoms in patients with COVID-19: What does the current evidence say?

Beth Russell et al. Ecancermedicalscience. .

Abstract

There have been several reports noting anosmia and ageusia as possible symptoms of COVID-19. This is of particular interest in oncology since patients receiving some cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or immune therapy often experience similar symptoms as side-effects. The purpose of this report was to summarise the evidence on the existence of anosmia and ageusia an emerging COVID-19 symptoms in order to better inform both oncology patients and clinicians. Currently, there is no published evidence or case reports noting anosmia or ageusia as symptoms of COVID-19. Nevertheless, experts in rhinology have suggested that the onset of such symptoms could either act as a trigger for testing for the disease where possible, or could be a new criterion to self-isolate. Whilst more data is currently needed to strengthen our knowledge of the symptoms of COVID-19, oncology patients who are concerned about anosmia or ageusia in the context of their systemic anti-cancer therapy should contact their acute oncology support line for advice.

Keywords: COVID-19; ageusia; anosmia; smell; taste.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None to be declared.

References

    1. Hopkins C, Kumar N. Loss of sense of smell as marker of COVID-19 infection. ENT UK. 2020. [26/03/2020]. [ https://www.entuk.org/sites/default/files/files/Loss of sense of smell a...] - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rabin R. Lost sense of smell may be peculiar clue to coronavirus infection. The New York Times. 2020. [26/03/2020]. [ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-symptoms-smell-tas...]

Publication types