Loss of smell & taste, fever and dry cough – Spanish scientists confirm main COVID-19 symptoms

Researchers at the University of Barcelona found that COVID-19 patients complained of the same symptoms, aiding future diagnosis.

The most-noted symptom was ‘fatigue’ – 97% of coronavirus-positive participants in the study complained of this symptom.

Fatigue was followed by headache (88%), loss of smell (85%), loss of taste (79%), low-grade fever (82%) and a dry cough (74%).

Nasal douche

The study looked at 35 patients with mild symptoms – a big find was that 68.6% experienced a strange sensation in the nose and excessive nasal dryness BEFORE losing their senses.

Most participants described the sensation like a ‘nasal douche’. These signs lasted for 12 days before total loss of taste and smell.

 “Fifty-two percent of the patients (but only 3% of the control group) reported a constant sensation of having had a strong nasal douche,” researchers wrote.

Scientists believe the loss of sense of smell in COVID-19 patients is because cells stop secreting mucus, which is needed by the molecules of substances responsible for smells.

Scientists believed this sensation could be an early-warning sign of COVID-19.