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A large percentage of COVID-19 patients exhibit changes in the sense of smell and taste, most often for a certain period of time – told PAP Prof. Rafał Butowt from the CM UMK, who studies the related mechanisms. He added that the coronavirus can deceptively damage neurons, so testing for olfactory and taste disorders could help isolate infected people.
Loss of smell and taste in COVID-19 patients
From the research of prof. Butowt shows that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infects first the support cells that are part of the olfactory epithelium. Research and publications by research teams from many places around the world confirm this fact and indicate – as the characteristic symptoms of COVID-19 – loss of taste and smell, adds the scientist.
– Subjective feelings about the loss of taste or smell are declared in interviews by about 10-20 percent of COVID-19 patients. More objective and sensitive test studies indicate that this percentage may be much higher and may amount to 50 percent to even 90 percent in various infection centers – said Prof. Butowt from the Department of Molecular Genetics of Cells of Collegium Medicum UMK.
The mechanism of smell and taste disorders is most likely related to an infection of the nervous system, or at least its peripheral part.
– Later, it may even lead to slow penetration of the brain, but at the present stage these are only hypotheses and speculations – although the obtained results encourage serious consideration of such a scenario – says Prof. Butowt.
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The professor also recalled that his research team was the first in the world to hypothesize that the olfactory damage in COVID-19 patients occurs through direct damage to the non-neuronal cells of the olfactory system by the virus, including in particular supporting cells.
More: Polish scientists discovered the cause of loss of smell in the course of COVID-19
As a consequence, the olfactory neurons cannot function properly. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 does not damage olfactory neurons directly, but indirectly. In my opinion, it would be very helpful to isolate the infected so that the virus does not transmit it, it would be to test for smell and taste disorders among potential contact persons, e.g. in large foci of infections.. This would make it possible to quickly and cheaply send these people to isolation and carry out in-depth genetic diagnostics for infection with this coronavirus – suggests prof. Butowt.
The main initial symptoms of COVID-19 are fever and cough. Infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 can also manifest itself as troublesome breathing, sore throat and pneumonia, fatigue, diarrhea, lower abdominal pain and loss of appetite. Disturbances in the sense of taste and smell have been recognized as one of the basic symptoms of infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus only with time.
In an interview with PAP, Prof. Butowt points out that he had been financing his research from private funds for many months and received no university support, and was dismissed from the position of head of department on March 31, which in practice stops further research.
– This will result in the end of this research. If I am not the head of the laboratory, I cannot lead a group to continue this project. I hope that after my publications in foreign, recognized magazines and media interest, the university will change my mind and I will be reinstated to my previous position and excluded from the structure of the department, where people are trying to prevent further work with “white gloves”, said the scientist.
He adds that it would be a shame for internal game play to stop research now, which offers significant opportunities for the future.
Ewa Walusiak-Bednarek from the NCU press office informed PAP that the university will finance the research of prof. Butowta is interested in the competition “COVID-19 – the implementation of research related to the COVID-19 epidemic in the field of technical and exact sciences and health sciences”.
– Project by prof. Butowta is one of six funded by the university as part of this competition. The competition committee selected the winners from among 15 submitted applications. The funds should be released at the turn of May and June. For research by prof. Butowta university allocated 100 thousand. PLN, i.e. the maximum amount of financing in the competition. Financing the projects of NCU researchers under the competition has nothing to do with their managerial functions, stressed Walusiak-Bednarek.
Dean of the medical faculty of the Nicolaus Copernicus University, prof. dr hab. Zbigniew Włodarczyk argues that the change in the position of the head of the department was related to the fact that prof. Butowt himself applied for a reduction of his employment at the Nicolaus Copernicus University.
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