The Covid-19 has not yet revealed all of its secrets. In recent days, many Internet users suspected of having Covid-19, deplore a loss of smell and taste: "My brother completely lost his sense of smell yesterday and I started losing it this noon, it will be totally lost by tomorrow I think, ”says Farah, who presents other coronavirus syndromes.
"I have had the inside of my nose inflamed for 3-4 days. This midday when I had lunch I found that my meal had no more taste than that, I thought that I had missed something in my recipe then by drinking my tea I had the impression to drink Hot water. Finally, I started to smell my bottle of orange blossom: nothing. A bottle of gin: still nothing, ”says Farah. "Loss of taste and smell is boring ... The other symptoms pass slowly, but not that," said another woman on Twitter.
Same! Loss of taste and smell is annoying ... the other symptoms pass slowly, but not that: / good recovery to you!
- Ludivine Roëlandt (@LudivineRoeldt) March 19, 2020"Quite rare" syndrome
Friday, number 2 of the Ministry of Health, Jérôme Salomon confirmed these fears during his daily update on the situation in France. Otolaryngologists (ENT) have observed in recent days "a resurgence of cases of anosmia". It is a "sudden disappearance" of smell, but without a stuffy nose, and sometimes accompanied by a disappearance of taste (ageusia).
In case of anosmia, "you must call your doctor and avoid self-medication without specialist advice," said Jérôme Salomon. This symptom would however remain "quite rare" and "generally" observed in young patients, having "mild forms" of the disease, said the Director of Health.
The French ENT society had launched an alert Friday on the resurgence of these cases, shared by doctors on social networks. "There is an obvious link" between anosmia and the virus, says Jean-Michel Klein, president of the National Professional ENT Council, which practices in Paris. "Not all Covid-positive are anosmics, but all isolated anosmics without local cause, without inflammation, are Covid-positive," said the specialist.
No corticosteroids or nose wash
According to the first cases reported by the ENT professional network, the patients concerned are rather young, between 23 and 45 years old. Many health professionals would also be affected, including several ENTs.
Contrary to what is done in the case of a classic anosmia, the doctor recommends not to administer corticotherapy, "which would lower the immune defenses", or a nose wash which would risk "to send the virus from the nasal mucosa in the lungs. "
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After these initial findings, the ENTs have notified the college of general medicine as well as the ministry, and will study this phenomenon. German and American publications have noticed the same symptoms, said Jean-Michel Klein.