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Polish scientists from the Collegium Medicum of the Nicolaus Copernicus University were the first in the world to identify the cause of the loss of smell in the course of coronavirus infection. Research has shown that olfactory problems are the result of damage to the supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium. This means that the coronavirus indirectly disrupts the functioning of the olfactory neurons.
Infection corona virus SARS-CoV-2 it causes not only the typical symptoms of fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. For some time now, doctors have recognized that a partial or complete loss of smell may be one of the first symptoms of developing an infection caused by the coronavirus. Scientists from Collegium Medicum im. Ludwik Rydygier in Bydgoszcz of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Polish scientists from the CM UMK They already started analyzing the problem of loss of smell in the course of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection in their first April publication on this subject. It appeared in April in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, an American scientific journal. The researchers said the coronavirus infects the olfactory epithelial cells first, but they said they weren’t neurons. In the latest publication on May 7, they discovered that the so-called support cells.
How does COVID-19 loss of smell occur?
As prof. Rafał Butowt from the Department of Biology and Medical Biochemistry, NCU, support cells are part of the olfactory epithelium. When as a result of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, they are damaged, the functioning of the olfactory neurons is disturbedcausing a loss of smell. This means that the coronavirus does not damage neurons directly, but indirectly contributes to their dysfunction by attacking the supporting cells.
The Polish research team was the first in the world to hypothesize that the loss of smell in COVID-19 disease is associated with damage to the supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium.
What exactly did the scientists notice? The coronavirus attacks the human body and multiplies using two protein receptors – ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Polish researchers have noticed that the increased expression level of these receptors can be observed in the olfactory epithelial support cells. Moreover, the concentration of the proteins mentioned increases with age. If this is what happens in the human body, it could explain why older people are more susceptible to coronavirus infection.
Check it out: Why is the coronavirus more dangerous for older people?
According to the authors of the publication, it is important to continue research to better understand the way the coronavirus enters the body. If the pathogen could spread from the support cells to the neurons, it would be worth investigating whether it is able to get through the nervous system to the brain. The neurological complications of COVID-19 are dangerous in that they can persist also in patients who have already dealt with respiratory symptoms.
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