Researchers say stroke, loss of taste could be symptoms of COVID-19

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Researchers in Wuhan, China said they found symptoms of stroke, seizures, even the loss of taste and smell in positive COVID-19 patients. Since the beginning of the outbreak, health officials around the world identified COVID-19 symptoms as fever, cough, and fatigue.

Every day, medical teams are learning more about how the novel coronavirus affects the human body that goes beyond breathing complications.

“Think about having coronavirus in terms of having a severe infection,” explained Dr. Estelle Jean, a cardiologist at MedStar Montgomery Medical Center. “As the body is trying to fight the severe infection, it can damage the heart, it can impact the kidneys. It is impacting younger patients who wouldn’t necessarily think they could get as sick and unfortunately die as well.”

Researchers in China published an article this month after analyzing data from 214 patients in Wuhan. More than 36 percent of those studied had neurologic symptoms ranging from dizziness, seizure, nerve pain, and the loss of taste and stroke.