Losing your sense of smell and taste may be signs of coronavirus, a sensory expert says.
Professor Nirmal Kumar, head of ENT UK, a group representing throat, nose and ear surgeons, said some Covid-19 patients displayed these symptoms.
He added that some of the infected experience a lack of smell and taste, despite not having the usual signs of a cough or fever.
The specialist urged Brits to self-isolate if they lose these sensations.
He told Sky News: "In young patients, they do not have any significant symptoms such as the cough and fever, but they may have just the loss of sense of smell and taste, which suggests that these viruses are lodging in the nose."
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ENT UK said that isolating people who have lost a sense of smell to self-isolate for seven days could cut the numbers infected by the virus, the Telegraph reports.
In a statement, the body said: “There is already good evidence from South Korea, China and Italy that significant numbers of patients with proven covid-19 infection have developed anosmia/hyposmia (loss of sense of smell).
“There have been a rapidly growing number of reports of a significant increase in the number of patients presenting with anosmia in the absence of other symptoms – this has been widely shared on medical discussion boards by surgeons from all regions managing a high incidence of cases.”
The Department of Health and Social Care says people should self-isolate if they have a consistent cough or a fever.
