The smell and taste disturbances after infection with the SARS-CoV2 virus last for at least 5 months, according to a Canadian study on a group of over 800 people. It is now believed that problems with the functioning of these senses are the result of neurological changes.
Such conclusions were presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s meeting. During this conference, scientists from the University of Quebec tested the sense of smell and taste in over 800 people.
“While COVID-19 is a new disease, previous research has shown that most people lose some of their sense of smell and taste in the early stages of the disease. We wanted to go on and take a closer look at it how long people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell and taste and how severe it is”Says study author Dr. Johannes Frasnelli of the University of Quebec.
The study participants – 813 healthcare professionals diagnosed with SARS-CoV2 – completed special online surveys and performed home tests to measure the work of their sense of taste and smell on average five months after diagnosis. The effect of smell and taste was described on a scale from 0 to 10.
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The authors of the study note that the average study participant did not fully regain his sense of smell.
Out of over 800 volunteers, 580 experienced a loss of smell at the onset of the disease. A little more than half (297 or 51%) of them stated that they did not regain their sense of smell even after 5 months after becoming illhowever, 134 people (17%) had a persistent loss of smell, which was measured with a special home test.
On average, on a 10-point scale, people after the disease rated their sense of smell at 7 points, while before the disease it was 9 out of 10.
The infection clearly affected the taste as well.
At the beginning of the infection, as many as 527 participants of the study experienced a loss of taste. Still 5 months later, 200 people from this group (38%) did not regain their taste.. At the same time, 73 people (9%) had a permanent loss of taste in the same period, confirmed by a home test.
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When assessing the functioning of their sense of taste after the disease, the volunteers gave him an average of 8 points out of 10, compared to 9 points indicated before the disease.
“Our results prove that smell and taste damage can persist in many people with COVID-19,” emphasizes Dr. Frasnelli. “You can see the importance of observing people who have become infected and the need for more research to check the extent of the neurological problems associated with COVID-19.” (PAP)
Author: Marek Matacz
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