If you lose your sense of smell, you'll miss more than a variety of scents. Without a good sense of smell, you may find that food tastes bland and it's hard to tell different foods apart. Loss of smell can be partial (hyposmia) or complete (anosmia), and may be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause.
A stuffy nose from a cold is a common cause for a partial, temporary loss of smell. A blockage in the nasal passages caused by a polyp or a nasal fracture also is a common cause. Normal aging can cause a loss of smell too, particularly after age 60.
Loss of smell caused by colds, allergies or sinus infections usually clears up on its own after a few days. If this doesn't happen, consult your doctor so that he or she can rule out more-serious conditions.
Additionally, loss of smell can sometimes be treated, depending on the cause. Your doctor may give you an antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection, or remove anything blocking your nasal passage. But in some cases, loss of smell can be permanent.
Prevalence and 6‐month recovery of olfactory dysfunction: a multicentre study of 1363 COVID‐19 patients
Mild patients were defined as patients without evidence of viral pneumonia or hypoxia and were commonly home‐managed and followed. Moderate COVID‐19 patients had clinical signs of pneumonia (fever, cough, dyspnoea, fast breathing) but no sign of severe pneumonia (including SpO2 ≥ 90% on room air).
Severe COVID‐19 patients were defined as individuals with clinical signs of pneumonia plus one of the following: respiratory rate > 30 breaths/min; severe respiratory distress; or SpO2 < 90% on room air. According to the centre and the availability of local healthcare resource, moderate and severe patients were home‐managed (moderate) or hospitalized in non‐intensive care units (ICU) vs. ICU. Patients with critical disease had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis or septic shock and were hospitalized in ICU. Patients with OD were followed to assess the recovery olfactory rates and the duration of OD.
Conclusions:
Amongst the 2581 patients, 1916 reported self‐reported OD (74.2%).
[Meaning 25% did not report loss of smell. Of those reporting olfactory dysfunction the vast majority were those diagnosed as having a mild case of COVID.]
The prevalence of self‐reported OD was 85.9%, in patients deemed to have a mild case of COVID.
The prevalence of self‐reported OD was 4.5%, in patients deemed to have moderate case of COVID.
The prevalence of self‐reported OD was 6.9%, in patients deemed to have a severe‐to‐critical case of COVID.
Common Cold
Each year in the United States, millions of people get the common cold. Adults have an average of 2-3 colds per year, and children have even more.
Many viruses can cause colds, but rhinoviruses are most common. Infections spread through the air and close personal contact.
In the course of a year, people in the U.S. suffer 1 billion colds, according to some estimates.
How can you tell the difference between a cold and the flu?
Because colds and flu share many symptoms, it can be difficult (or even impossible) to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone.
The symptoms of flu can include fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue (tiredness). Cold symptoms are usually milder than the symptoms of flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems.
What is the difference between Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19?
Similarities:
Both COVID-19 and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe symptoms. Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include:
Fever or feeling feverish/chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue (tiredness)
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose [can cause loss of smell as mentioned previously]
Muscle pain or body aches
Headache
Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults
Flu
Flu viruses can cause mild to severe illness, including common signs and symptoms listed above.
COVID-19
COVID-19 seems to cause more serious illnesses in some people. Other signs and symptoms of COVID-19, different from flu, may include change in or loss of taste or smell. [Which statistically would more likely indicate a mild case of COVID if at all, and if not from a cold or mild flu or other.]
[As there is so much cross-over on symptoms, one can appreciate why accurate diagnosis and testing is important.]
