...As the pandemic continues, more information is accumulating about the loss of smell that afflicts as many as 70% to 80% of people who catch COVID-19 and seems particularly common among those with mild disease.
For most, the condition lasts only a few days or a few weeks. But for as many as one-third, the loss can last for months, said Dr. Evan Reiter, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond. It may even be permanent.
Now, a new understanding is emerging about what causes smell loss with COVID-19 and, eventually, how it might be treated.
Smell loss has long been reported as a result of infections, smoking or head trauma, and some people are born without the ability to smell. About 3% of Americans have little to no sense of smell, and 12% have smell dysfunctions, according to a 2016 study.
"You don't think it's as important 'til you don't have it," Reiter said.
Losing smell can make people feel disoriented and detached, said Pamela Dalton, a smell researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. "When they walk into a familiar environment there's a whole dimension that's missing. There's a blankness there," she said. "It affects how they eat, it affects how they interact with other people, and it certainly affects their emotional state."
For most, the condition lasts only a few days or a few weeks. But for as many as one-third, the loss can last for months, said Dr. Evan Reiter, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond. It may even be permanent.
Now, a new understanding is emerging about what causes smell loss with COVID-19 and, eventually, how it might be treated.
Smell loss has long been reported as a result of infections, smoking or head trauma, and some people are born without the ability to smell. About 3% of Americans have little to no sense of smell, and 12% have smell dysfunctions, according to a 2016 study.
"You don't think it's as important 'til you don't have it," Reiter said.
Losing smell can make people feel disoriented and detached, said Pamela Dalton, a smell researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. "When they walk into a familiar environment there's a whole dimension that's missing. There's a blankness there," she said. "It affects how they eat, it affects how they interact with other people, and it certainly affects their emotional state." ...
