ENT researchers and specialists have analyzed the causes of anosmia, one of the symptoms of Covid-19. The results of their studies have been released.
No stuffy nose
Loss of smell or anosmia is one of the known symptoms caused by Covid-19. While its link with the disease has not always been explained, American ENT doctors and researchers have tried to provide initial answers. Seven specialists from the University of Irvine (California) and the Medical Center of Chicago (Illinois) studied the question. In their study called “Overall prevalence of chemo sensory and nonasasal dysfunction in SARS-Cov-2 and related coronaviruses”, they found that patients with coronavirus did not have a stuffy nose. However, during an infection by a virus, the nose is generally blocked, which leads to the loss of smell.
Tissue and mucus swelling
According to Jane Parker, associate professor of aroma chemistry at the University of Reading (United Kingdom), and Simon Gane, rhinology consultant and ENT surgeon at the University of London, the coronavirus would act on another level. To reach this conclusion, the authors used scans of the nose and sinuses of patients suffering from anosmia and suffering from coronavirus. “The scientists noticed that the olfactory slit, part of the nose in charge of the perception of odors, was blocked by swelling of tissues and mucus. This in no way interferes with breathing in the patient, but prevents the perception of odors . “, they developed on the story of The Dispatch.
The coronavirus would not attack olfactory neurons, but the cells that support these neurons. The patient’s immune response would then cause edema which prevents the aromatic molecules from reaching their receptors. Which blocks the sense of smell. This swelling would decrease after the virus disappears, and the perception of odors gradually returns.
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