Loss of smell may linger for years after Covid-19: Study

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Although it may not be noticeable, the loss of smell may linger for years for some people after a Covid-19 infection, according to a study.

The study led by researchers at the US National Institutes of Health and New York University Langone Health used an objective, 40-odour test to explore a link between the coronavirus that causes Covid and hyposmia — the reduced ability to smell.

The results revealed that 80 per cent of participants who reported a change in their smelling ability after having Covid earned low scores on a clinical scent-detection test taken about two years later.

Of this group, 23 per cent were severely impaired or had entirely lost their sense of smell.

Notably, 66 per cent of infected participants who did not notice any smelling issues scored abnormally low on the evaluation as well, the researchers said.

“Our findings confirm that those with a history of Covid-19 may be especially at risk for a weakened sense of smell, an issue that is already underrecognised among the general population,” said study co-lead author Leora Horwitz, professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Horwitz added that 60 per cent of uninfected participants who did not report olfactory problems also tested poorly during the clinical evaluation.

The new study in 3,535 men and women, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, is the largest to date to examine loss of smell after Covid by using a formal test.

The findings suggest that health care providers should consider testing for loss of smell as a routine part of post-Covid, the team said.

Experts are now also exploring ways to restore the ability to smell after having Covid, such as with vitamin A supplementation and olfactory training to “rewire” the brain’s response to odours.

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