查看文章

On 18 May 2020, Public Health England added the symptom of ‘new loss of taste or smell’to the symptoms related to Covid-19, following suit with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 1, 2. Loss of sense of smell as an indicative symptom of SARS-CoV-2 is particularly relevant in healthcare professionals at the frontline of the current pandemic who are at high risk of both contracting and spreading SARS-CoV-23. Anonymous self-reported questionnaires were distributed to staff in Barts Health NHS Trust, based in Central and East London, the largest trust in the UK. In total, 262 healthcare workers from 4 hospitals completed a questionnaire from 17-23 April 2020, a representative sample of the Trust’s patient-facing workforce; 58.8% female; 41.2% male, 58.0% were aged< 40 years; 5.7% aged> 60 years. A total of 73 (27.9%) participants had been tested for Covid-19; 56 (76.7%) of these had a confirmed positive test. Of participants reporting symptoms, 48.5%, 47.9% and 3.6% were mild, moderate and severe, respectively. In total 168/262 (64.1%) responders reported losing their sense of smell/taste in the last 2 months. There was strong evidence of an association between losing sense of smell/taste and Covid-19. Participants who lost their sense of smell/taste were more likely to have a positive Covid-19 test (Odds Ratio OR= 4.9, 95% CI: 1.4-17.1, p= 0.01), ie a 4.9-fold increased risk within the tested subgroup. Ninety-seven participants responded to the follow-up survey (22–27 May 2020); 47% reported that their sense of smell/taste had completely recovered, 42.3% had recovered …