For some who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have lost their sense of smell, it may take a while for the meaning to return.
Dr. Evan Reiter of VCU Health on how COVID-19 affects taste
Loss of smell or taste is considered one of the characteristic symptoms of COVID-19 that can affect some infected people. But whether this could be permanent for some who have had the symptom is unclear.
Nearly 40% of COVID-19 patients with symptoms report a change in smell and taste as one of their first or only symptoms, according to the medical director of the Center for Smell and Taste Disorders at Virginia Commonwealth University Health.
“Loss of smell is something that should not be taken lightly. People should seek medical evaluation and even tests, as more tests are available, ”said Dr. Evan Reiter.
Reiter is concerned that some people may not realize that the loss of smell may be a sign of COVID-19, even if no other symptoms are present, such as fever, cough or gastrointestinal problems.
“The good news, at least, is that it seems that in most people, smell is recovering in a relatively short period,” said Reiter.
Two-thirds of patients reported improvements.
“I can’t say everything, but at least a substantial part of the olfactory function (returns) even within a few weeks,” said Reiter.
Reiter is an otolaryngologist at VCU Health and the lead investigator in a study of loss of smell and taste that published preliminary information in May and continues to collect data.
“We are still in the process of collecting more long-term data to see how many patients in that group do not recover in a few weeks, and what is, more or less, the natural history of the disease from that point forward,” said Reiter .
He believes that there is a small percentage that has had enough damage to make the injury permanent. He anecdotally heard from patients who fell ill in March and still cannot smell.
Is there hope that smell will return?
Loss of smell due to head trauma or other viral infections can take up to 18 months to return, Reiter pointed out in the context.
Whether the loss of smell is brief or long-term, Reiter advised people to make up for it.
“Ensure that smoke detectors are checked, functioning and updated, and batteries checked, dating perishable foods. Seemingly simple things like that can have a big effect on someone’s long-term well-being, ”he said.
Currently, there is no proven method for restoring lost sense of smell, but VCU Faculty of Medicine professors Richard Costanzo, who has a doctorate in physiology, and Dr. Daniel Coelho are working to develop an implant that works similarly to a cochlear implant helps you hear.
According to the VCU website, “Costanzo, which is also developing a device that would restore taste, said that these innovations are on the verge of major advances.”
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