Loss of Taste, Smell Studied in COVID-19 Patients

April 8, 2021

Women with COVID-19 reported more symptoms of loss of smell and taste than men with the virus, in a small study published in February. 

“Is There a Gender-Based Difference in the Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in COVID-19? A Retrospective Cohort Study,” published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, February 2021, was a retrospective cohort study of 130 consecutive adult patients with a positive COVID PCR test admitted from March 16-May 14, 2020 at a tertiary care university hospital.  

The article states that 11.8 percent of the women in the study reported loss of smell and taste, compared with 2.8 percent of the men.

The research was conducted by a group that included V.S. Patthipati, M.D., who was a clinical instructor in the Department of internal Medicine from December 2017 to June 2020, during his residency at Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, Ohio. 

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