Many people fail to regain their sense of smell after battling COVID-19. Being unable to smell freshly cooked lasagna can be a pain, and scientists finally have an explanation for the symptom. COVID-19 has changed our lives since it arrived in 2020. From high fevers to incessant coughs, the respiratory virus hunted the lives of many individuals. Even after recovering from the disease, some fail to regain their sense of smell- and now scientists have discovered why.
Why do people lose their sense of smell from COVID-19?
Research conducted by Duke Health revealed that the main reason behind the loss of smell derives from a continuous immune strike on olfactory nerve cells and a diminished number of those cells. According to the journal Science Translational Medicine, many have not fully recovered after COVID-19, including regaining their sense of smell. Scientists, while researching anosmia, also liked other long COVID-19 symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and brain fog.
“One of the first symptoms that have typically been associated with COVID-19 infection is loss of smell,” said Bradley Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., senior author and associate professor in Duke’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences and the Department of Neurobiology.
"Fortunately, many people who have an altered sense of smell during the acute phase of viral infection will recover smell within the next one to two weeks, but some do not,... We need to better understand why this subset of people will go on to have persistent smell loss for months to years after being infected with SARS-CoV2."
What are some other long COVID-19 symptoms?
Many people get through COVID-19 without needing hospitalization. However, many continue to undergo symptoms even after recovering from COVID-19. Even those who had mild symptoms can develop lingering symptoms after recovery. These ongoing health complications are often referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID-19. Long COVID-19 refers to those with ongoing symptoms for more than four weeks. It can even linger for months or years after recovery.
Some common symptoms may include fatigue, fever, breathing problems, joint or muscle pain, and digestive symptoms. However, it is difficult to tell if all symptoms result from COVID-19 or are merely preexisting medical conditions. It is important to get your symptoms checked out by medical professionals if they do not seem to improve over time.
What should you do if you get infected with COVID-19?
With over 100 million cases of COVID-19 just in the United States, it is important to know what to do if you become infected. If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate yourself to prevent spreading it to others. You can take over-the-counter medications depending on your symptoms and rest to reduce your symptoms. If symptoms continue or becom
COVID-19 in some cases, including Paxlovid, Veklury, and Lagevrio.