Case Report: COVID-19 Patient With Chief Complaint of Anosmia and Ageusia; a Unique Perspective on Atypical Symptomatology and Management in the Military

ABSTRACT A novel corona virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, found in Wuhan, China in December 2019 has since spread to multiple continents and has been implicated in thousands of deaths. This pandemic—causing virus has been initially described (corona virus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) with the presentation of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The majority of studies published have been conducted on inpatient cases and a shortage of tests has encouraged screening only of patients with classic presentation. A positive COVID-19 case of a healthy military male, with the chief complaint of anosmia and ageusia, instigated local re-evaluation of the screening protocol for possible COVID-19 patients. Multiple studies in Europe have implicated anosmia and ageusia as symptoms associated with COVID-19, and subsequently, anosmia and ageusia have been added to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention screening guidelines as well. There should be a higher index of suspicion when evaluating a patient with high-risk activities, travel, and atypical symptoms. More studies need to be conducted with a healthy outpatient population to further understand this disease and decrease its impact.