COVID-19 Survivors and the Long Haul with Smell and Taste Loss
It's a bummer when your olfactory bulb turns into a desert, leaving you with anosmia--the medical term for a total loss of smell. Suddenly, you can't catch a whiff of your baby's sweet scent, your partner's roses, or the stink of your workout gear. Taste, too, becomes bland and boring, affecting your appetite and overall enjoyment of food.
But there's a silver lining: self-help and advocacy groups like AbScent and Fifth Sense are stepping up, providing affirmations, hope, and practical tips for aroma training to help stimulate your appetite.
Research from 2022 shows that approximately 5% of COVID-19 survivors worldwide develop long-term smell and taste issues. An estimated 15 million people are still grappling with smell problems, while 12 million may struggle with taste as well.
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Source:
Enrichment Data:
- Loss of Smell (Anosmia) and Taste (Ageusia):
- Prevalence: Anosmia and ageusia are among the most prevalent symptoms following COVID-19 infection. Studies have shown that these symptoms can persist for several months after infection. For example, a study mentioned in [1] found that anosmia had a pooled odds ratio of 11.27, and ageusia had a pooled odds ratio of 9.76, indicating a strong association with COVID-19 infection [1].
- Duration: These symptoms can last for weeks or even months. A systematic review in [1] noted that only loss of smell (anosmia), fatigue, and shortness of breath were statistically significantly more prevalent in those who had suffered from COVID-19 infection [1].
- Neurological Implications: The loss of smell is associated with alterations in the olfactory system, as indicated by increased gray matter volumes in the olfactory cortices, hippocampi, and cingulate gyri observed in MRI studies [2].
Strategies to help with smell and taste issues:
- Medical Interventions:
- Antiviral Agents: While antiviral agents like remdesivir have shown promise in reducing viral load and lung pathology, their effectiveness in treating long-term smell and taste issues is not well-documented [2].
- Anti-inflammatory Medications: Corticosteroids have been used to reduce inflammation, which might indirectly help with some symptoms, but specific treatments for anosmia and ageusia are not well-established [2].
- Dietary and Lifestyle Changes:
- Nutritional Support: Ensuring adequate nutrition can help manage symptoms. However, specific dietary recommendations for improving smell and taste are not widely established.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is crucial for overall health, but its direct impact on smell and taste recovery is not well-documented.
- Alternative Therapies:
- Pharmacological Treatments: Some studies suggest that antihistamines like famotidine may help reduce a wide range of symptoms, including those related to smell and taste, but these are not specifically targeted at these issues [2].
- Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Dietary Interventions: There is some evidence suggesting that targeting the gut microbiome through prebiotics, probiotics, and dietary interventions might help manage symptoms of long COVID, including those related to smell and taste. However, this is still an area of ongoing research [2].
- Psychological Support:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): While not specifically targeting smell and taste, CBT can help manage the psychological impact of long-term symptoms, which can improve overall quality of life.
In summary, while there are no specific, widely established treatments for long-term smell and taste issues in COVID-19 survivors, ongoing research into the gut microbiome and its impact on neurological symptoms suggests potential avenues for future interventions.
References:
1. 2. [Wu et al. (2021) "COVID-19 and Long-Term Smell and Taste Dysfunction: A Narrative Review"].(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8595027/)
