Sudden onset of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction - An early predictor to isolate the patient in COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a new pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The prevalent symptoms in COVID-19 include fever, cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea, myalgia, headache, dyspnea, and diarrhea. At the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical presentations such as olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions were considered as atypical. At present, olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are not uncommon symptoms among COVID-19 infections in the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, these two symptoms were underestimated and not recognized among scientific community. At present, many otolaryngologists over the world documented that COVID-19 patients presented with olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions even without the presence of nasal obstruction or rhinorrhea. The exact etiopathology for olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions is still not known. Future clinical and basic science studies may help to understand the mechanism for olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in this pandemic. The objective of this review article is to discuss details of the olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients. This article will surely increase awareness among the clinicians and people who are dealing with COVID-19 patients and their early diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]