Lost Smell and Taste Hint COVID-19 Can Target the Nervous System

Matthew Anderson, MD, PhD

Dr. Matt Anderson, chief of neuropathology at Beth Israel in Boston, forwarded me a recent article from The Scientist. The article describes the experience of Alessandro Laurenzi, a biologist working in Bologna, Italy, regarding the proposition that COVID-19 infected patients can have transient loss of the sense of smell. Olfactory sensory loss may play a role in early diagnosis, but it may also help in understanding pathogensis.

Dr. Anderson is quoted in the article, stating that central nervous system involvement by the virus may play a part in the respiratory symptomatology.