- Johan N. Lundström
- The Conversation *
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Early in the pandemic, multiple studies showed that about half of people with COVID lost their sense of smell (a condition called anosmia) at some point during the course of the infection.
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An additional approximately 20% to 35% experienced a clinical reduction in their ability to smell (hyposmia).
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Although the most recent evidence suggests that omicron may not lead to loss of smell as much as earlier variants, given that more than 500 million people have had at least one of the variants to date, there are still many millions of people who probably have experienced this condition to some degree.
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For most, this is just a temporary loss of function. But a considerable part will experience longer-term problems.
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Recent studies show that between 12 and 18 months after the initial diagnosis of covid, between 34% and 46% of people still experience a clinical reduction in their sense of smell.
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Nevertheless, Most of these people are not aware of it.
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A related problem is parosmia, in which a person’s perception of odors changes and they often find that they become more unpleasant.
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Research suggests that even 47% of people who have had covid could be affected.
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As with loss of smell, most people with parosmia will probably heal over time. However, some may have more lasting problems.
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Covid is not the only disease that can lead to loss of smell. It can also be caused by other viruses or infections, or head trauma, or a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Long-term effects
While the evidence on post-Covid loss of smell is still emerging, data from other types of olfactory dysfunction give us insight into some of the effects long-term loss of smell can have on everyday life.
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1. Food safety
People with this disability are more likely to eat spoiled food because it is the smell, above all, that warns us when something has gone bad.
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This can increase the risk of foodborne illness.
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image source, Getty Images
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2. Gusto
Aside from the core taste sensations (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami), almost everything we experience as taste is produced by odors that reach the olfactory receptors in the nose through the oral-nasal passage in the back of the nose. of the throat
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Unfortunately, without the sense of smell, most of what you eat will have little or no flavor.
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If the ability to detect odors is removed, an apple will taste like a potato if you close your eyes.
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3. Appetite
Beyond giving us pleasure when eating, the smells of food also stimulate our appetite.
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This means that when we can’t smell the aromas of dinner cooking in the oven, we’re less likely to be hungry.
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4. Weight fluctuations
The combined loss of appetite and pleasure in eating causes most people with a newly acquired smell disorder to initially lose weight.
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However, our bodies are designed to keep us alive. People with loss of smell quickly begin to seek pleasure from other sensory stimuli when eating, such as texture, for example, in the crunch of fried foods.
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And instead of waiting until they’re hungry, many will simply eat more often.
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These unconscious changes in eating behavior often result in weight gain, which can lead to long-term heart problems and other related health problems.
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5. Relationships
There are some consequences of loss of smell in the ones you might not immediately think of.
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Take, for example, the fact that a person who cannot smell will not be able to control their own body odor. This can be a source of shyness and insecurity in social situations.
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image source, Getty Images
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When we can’t smell food aromas, we’re less likely to be hungry.
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Several studies have shown that a poor sense of smell is linked to a reduction in reported social interactions, number of friends, and sexual enjoyment.
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The latter could also be related to the loss of the ability to sense the scent of a partner.
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6. Mental health
One-third of people who seek treatment for their smell problems report experiencing a reduction in their quality of life and general well-being, compared to their life before having these problems.
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This is likely due to a combination of the factors described above.
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People with olfactory dysfunction often report symptoms of depression, and it’s not uncommon for them to associate these with their smell problems.
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treatment options
Unfortunately, there are few treatments for people who experience smell dysfunction.
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For virus-induced smell problems, the only treatment that has any demonstrable effect is smell training.
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This is a bit like physical therapy for the nose and involves exposure therapy, in which the patient is asked to smell a variety of odors for about 20 minutes, each morning and evening, for a period of two to three months. .
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Although patients will rarely fully recover, studies have shown that the Smell training improves olfactory functions over time.
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That said, the covid pandemic has given olfactory research a boost, and several exciting new treatments are currently in preclinical trials.
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Years from now, we may see a variety of novel treatments for smell dysfunction.
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In the meantime, what should you do if you think your sense of smell isn’t what it should be?
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You can start smell training using common household odors. If you don’t see noticeable improvement after six weeks of training, contact your doctor for an evaluation.
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*Johan N. Lundström is Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute. This article appeared on The Conversation. You can read the English version here.
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