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. 2021 Feb 16;72(4):682-685.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa799.

Loss of Taste and Smell as Distinguishing Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Patrick Dawson  1   2 , Elizabeth M Rabold  1   2 , Rebecca L Laws  2 , Erin E Conners  1   2 , Radhika Gharpure  1   2 , Sherry Yin  2 , Sean A Buono  2   3 , Trivikram Dasu  4 , Sanjib Bhattacharyya  4 , Ryan P Westergaard  5 , Ian W Pray  1   5 , Dongni Ye  2   6 , Scott A Nabity  2 , Jacqueline E Tate  2 , Hannah L Kirking  2
Affiliations

Loss of Taste and Smell as Distinguishing Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Patrick Dawson et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

In a household study, loss of taste and/or smell was the fourth most reported symptom (26/42 [62%]) among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case patients and had the highest positive predictive value (83% [95% confidence interval [CI], 55%-95%) among household contacts. Olfactory and taste dysfunctions should be considered for COVID-19 case identification and testing prioritization.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; olfactory disorders; taste disorders.

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