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- COVID-19 typically produces a range of flu-like symptoms, including a cough and fatigue, but it can also cause the loss of taste and smell. Taste and smell can return or get better within 4 weeks of the virus clearing the body, but it may sometimes take months for them to improve.
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-and-loss-of-taste
Dec 28, 2023 · Fever and chills; Headache; Loss of taste or smell; Runny or stuffy nose; Sore throat; Loss of taste or smell is a telltale sign of COVID-19. This symptom is much less common with other illnesses. When to recover at home. Most of the time, people recover from these infections on their own, but there are exceptions.
- Overview
- How to get your taste back for various causes of loss
- COVID-19
- Upper respiratory infection
- Allergies, sinus problems
- Nasal polyps
- Certain medications
- Cancer treatment
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Nutritional deficiencies
You may lose your sense of taste or smell if you have certain medical conditions or as a side effect of medication. How to get your sense of taste back can depend on the underlying cause.
Your sense of taste and smell work together to make food enjoyable or warn you that it’s gone bad.
Every year, over 200,000 people seek care for taste or smell problems. These senses are so interwoven that sometimes, what seems to be the loss of taste is actually the loss of smell. True loss of taste (ageusia) is rare.
Many conditions can interfere with taste, but it usually returns when the cause is resolved. Loss of taste can be a sign of COVID-19 or another viral infection. Sometimes it lingers even after the infection has passed.
Depending on the cause, lack of taste may resolve on its own or by treating the cause. In the meantime, avoid the temptation to add extra sugar or salt to your food. Experiment with a variety of foods, herbs, and spices.
Change or loss of taste is commonly reported by people with COVID-19.
In an April 2021 study, researchers found that in a group of 200 people with mild to moderate COVID-19:
•7 percent lost their sense of taste (but not smell)
•4 percent lost their sense of smell and taste
•4.5 percent lost their sense of smell (but not taste)
Everybody who lost their taste regained it within 14 days. People who lost their sense of smell regained it within 21 days except for two people, who developed long-term loss of smell.
Any type of infection of the upper respiratory tract can affect your sense of taste. Upper respiratory tract infections include the common cold and influenza, which can cause nasal congestion, coughing, and sneezing. The flu can also cause fever.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), change or loss of taste or smell is more common with COVID-19 than the flu.
Cold and flu symptoms are treated with:
•rest
•antihistamines
•decongestants
Allergies and sinus infections can cause inflammation and congestion, which affects smell and taste. Sinus infections are treated with:
•nasal rinses or sprays
•OTC pain medications
•antibiotics
Nasal polyps are soft, painless bumps that grow in your nasal passages or sinuses. They’re caused by chronic inflammation associated with:
•allergies
•asthma
•recurring infection
•immune disorders
•drug sensitivities
Some medicines can alter or diminish your sense of taste. These include:
•psychotropic medications
•bladder medications
•antihistamines
•antibiotics
•cholesterol-lowering medications
Chemotherapy and radiation to the head or neck can alter or weaken your sense of taste. This usually clears up once you finish treatment. In the meantime, here are some other things you can try:
•Eat cold foods, which may be easier to taste than hot foods.
•Drink plenty of fluids.
•Brush your teeth before and after eating.
•Ask your doctor to recommend products that may help with dry mouth.
•Mints, gum, and using plastic utensils instead of metal can help with a temporary metallic taste.
People with dementia, including those with Alzheimer’s disease, can experience a decline in smell and taste. Other things that contribute to eating and nutritional difficulties include:
•medications
•trouble recognizing foods
•difficulty going through the steps of eating a meal
Certain nutritional deficiencies could minimize your sense of taste. For example, zinc is vital to your senses of taste and smell. You can probably already get enough zinc through a normal, varied diet. Zinc is found in chicken, red meat, fortified breakfast cereals, and many other foods.
Women need 8 milligrams a day and men need 11 milligrams. If you think you may have a zinc deficiency, talk with a doctor about your diet and whether you should take a supplement. Don’t take supplements without first speaking with a doctor.
Nov 22, 2023 · But how do you know if you have just a common cold or one of the three respiratory viruses that make up the “tripledemic” – RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and influenza? Based...
Jun 3, 2021 · What should you do if you've lost your sense of smell and taste? Smell dysfunction is common and often the first symptom of a COVID-19 infection. Therefore, you should self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19 when you can.
COVID-19 —The loss of smell, with or without changes in taste, related to COVID-19 infection typically occurs without the nasal congestion or runny nose that is typically seen with a cold. Associated symptoms may also include headache, a dry cough, shortness of breath, high fever, stomach problems, and a persistent sore throat.
Sep 27, 2024 · COVID-19 infection is one of many possible causes of a loss of taste and smell. The chance of full recovery of smell and taste depends on the cause. And it’s different for each person. The best way to tell if you have COVID infection is to get a COVID test.
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Jan 27, 2022 · A fever is one of the common symptoms of COVID-19, but you can be infected with the coronavirus and have a cough or other symptoms with no fever, or a very low-grade one — especially in the first few days. Keep in mind that it is also possible to have the coronavirus with minimal symptoms or even no symptoms at all.
