With the arrival of the Coronavirus in 2019, its symptoms weren’t specific and were discovered after it affected more and more people with time. CDC then listed loss of smell and taste as a symptom of COVID after observing many patients infected by Corona. (1) They weren’t sure how long it would linger as many infected patients struggled even after recovery. Studies then confirmed that around 85-90% of people lose their sense of taste and smell after contracting the virus. (2) This infliction is known as anosmia in the medical world. ![]() What is Anosmia?Anosmia is a medical term for the loss of ability to smell. The patients often experience Anosmia and Ageusia, which is the loss of taste. These senses are closely linked to each other hence, the loss of one can impact the other. (1) Our body can smell things due to the presence of olfactory sensory neurons located high inside our noses. These neurons send messages to your brain, identifying what you are smelling. We experience Anosmia and Ageusia when the channels that let the smell travel up to the olfactory sensory cells get blocked. How does COVID-19 cause a loss of smell and taste?As Corona is a novel virus, scientists have not been able to find the clear cause behind the inability to smell and taste when infected by COVID-19. However, it is a common symptom after contracting the disease (1). Some researchers say it might be due to nerve damage in the nasal cavity, but the damage is reversible as epithelium regrows the damaged nerves. This is when the patients regain their senses. When does the sense of smell come back?According to studies, some people regain their sense of smell after ten days. 27% of patients will recover some sense of smell within seven days. But, this isn’t the case for everyone. Anosmia due to a viral infection can linger far longer than doctors thought possible. There are some cases when the patients never recover fully from Anosmia and Ageusia. There also have been cases where the patients started smelling and tasting things again after a year or more. The exact recovery time is not predictable and can be from a few months to years. The only proven way to recover from long-term anosmia is scent therapy. Can medicine treat COVID-induced anosmia?No medicines could bring back the sense of smell or taste, but aroma training can be done for a positive impact. (3) Under the guidance of a therapist, scent training is the only scientifically proven way to recover faster from anosmia. REFERENCES
2. COVID-19: Loss of Smell, Taste Might Be Long-Term [Internet]. WebMD. [cited 2021 Jan 4]. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200604/covid19-loss-of-smell-taste-might-be-long-term 3. Mullol J, Alobid I, Mariño-Sánchez F, Izquierdo-Domínguez A, Marin C, Klimek L, et al. The Loss of Smell and Taste in the COVID-19 Outbreak: a Tale of Many Countries. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2020 Aug 3;20(10):61. from https://www.somm.us/covid-19-and-the-loss-of-smell-and-taste/
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