One of the main, and first, symptoms experienced by those who get the new coronavirus it is anosmia, or loss of the sense of smell.
(You may be interested in: These are the symptoms of coronavirus that are known so far).
“It is the symptom that best predicts infection, above the fever or cough, but the underlying mechanisms for loss of smell in patients with the virus were unclear. “, reported the University of Harvard, until now…
A recent scientific investigation, in which more than 20 experts from various countries participated and which was led by the prestigious American institution, revealed the reason why this happens.
According to the conclusions of the study, SARS-CoV-2 (name of the new coronavirus) “affects cells that provide metabolic and structural support to olfactory sensory neurons, but not to the neurons that detect and transmit smell to the brain. “
(Also read: Anosmia: the harsh symptom of losing your sense of smell due to the coronavirus).
Once the infection clears up, olfactory neurons don’t seem to need to be replaced or rebuilt from scratch
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“Olfactory sensory neurons do not express the gene encoding the ACE2 receptor protein, which the virus used to enter human cells. Instead, ACE2 is expressed in support cells, as well as in certain populations of stem cells and blood vessel cells, “said Sandeep Robert Datta, of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.
Thus the things, Research states that the new coronavirus is unlikely to cause “serious and permanent damage to olfactory neural circuits.”
(Also: What to do at home if I live with a suspect or coronavirus case?).
“Once the infection goes away, the olfactory neurons don’t seem to need to be replaced or rebuilt from scratch,” Datta said, while acknowledging that they continue to work to collect more data to confirm this conclusion.
Harvard noted that persistent anosmia “Is associated with problems of Health mental and social, like depression and anxiety. “
Another important conclusion is related to neurological problems associated with the new coronavirus: it was found that the virus “does not directly infect neurons, but can interfere with brain function by affecting vascular cells in the nervous system.”
(Keep reading: Young man infected his family with covid for not following recommendations).
However, Like the data on olfactory neurons, more work is needed to verify, Harvard reported.
The study was published in the scientific journal ‘Science Advances’.
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