New Delhi : Although it may not be noticeable, some people may experience loss of smell for years after a Covid-19 infection, according to a recent study.
Researchers at the US National Institutes of Health and New York University Langone Health led the study, using an objective, 40-odour test to examine the link between Covid-19 and hyposmia—the reduced ability to smell.
The study found that 80 per cent of participants who reported a change in their smelling ability after Covid scored low on a clinical scent-detection test about two years later.
Of this group, 23 per cent had severe impairment or completely lost their sense of smell.
Interestingly, 66 per cent of infected participants who did not notice any smelling issues also scored abnormally low on the evaluation, the researchers noted.
“Our findings confirm that people with a history of Covid-19 may face a weakened sense of smell, an issue already underrecognised among the general population,” said study co-lead author Leora Horwitz, professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Horwitz added that 60 per cent of uninfected participants who did not report olfactory problems also performed poorly during the clinical evaluation.
The study included 3,535 individuals and appeared in the journal JAMA Network Open. It represents the largest study to date examining loss of smell after Covid using a formal test.
The findings suggest that health care providers should routinely test for loss of smell during post-Covid evaluations.
Experts are now exploring ways to restore the sense of smell in Covid survivors, including vitamin A supplementation and olfactory training to “rewire” the brain’s response to odours.
–IANS
