A study revealed that five percent of patients infected with Covid-19 experienced prolonged effects (long covid), i.e. loss of sense of smell and taste.
The researchers conducted an analysis of 18 research findings that had been published previously and involved 3,700 patients.
Quoted from AFP on Saturday (30/7), the study published by BMJ revealed that four percent of patients have not recovered their sense of smell, and two percent of patients have also not recovered their sense of taste after six months of contracting the corona virus.
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However, the study did not explain whether the sample was representative of all recovered patients or only some.
Meanwhile, the researchers estimate that the loss of the sense of smell may persist in 5.6 percent of patients, while 4.4 percent may have difficulty restoring the sense of taste.
One woman even told researchers that her sense of smell had not recovered more than two years after contracting Covid-19.
On the other hand, researchers agree that most patients should be able to recover their sense of smell and taste within the first three months after contracting Covid. If not, then it requires maintenance to restore it.
“A large group of patients may have long-term dysfunction that requires timely identification, personalized care and long-term follow-up,” AFP wrote.
The study also found that it took women longer to recover from Covid-19 symptoms than men. However, the researchers did not mention the cause of this difference in recovery time.
(ldi/vws)
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