Lingering Smellโ Loss Common Two Years Post-COVID,Study Finds
Even two years after a COVID-19 infection,a notable number of individuals experience a diminished sense of smell,ofen without realizing the extent of the impairment. โคA recent US study highlights alarming statistics and advocates for routine smell testing too better understand and address this โunderestimated long-term effect.
The acute phase ofโ the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, but its health consequences continue to โeffect many. Research published in the jama Network Open journal revealsโ that many individuals experience a significantly reduced ability to smell twoโ years after contractingโ the virus.
The study, conducted by a team led by Leora Horwitz from New York University, found that “80 percent of study participants who reported a change in their โodor ability after a COVID-19โ illness โคalso scored low on a clinical smell test approximately two years later.” Moreover, nearly one-quarter ofโค this group (23 percent) exhibited severe impairment or complete loss of โsmell.
Researchers conclude that โindividuals with a history of COVID-19 are at a heightened risk of developing a weakened sense of smell, a problem they believe has been historically underestimated.
Many Unaware of Smell โDeficits
The study involved testing โthe sense of smell of around 3,500 adult men and women whoโ had experienced COVID-19 in the preceding two years. Participants were asked toโ identify 40 different scents in a standardized test. โ Crucially, this study utilized objective โmeasurement, unlike previous research relying on self-reported โฃdata which could be subject to underestimation or overestimation of symptoms.
Results were compared against a database of thousands of healthy volunteers ofโค similar age and gender who underwent the same testing. A striking finding was that many individuals who had been sick were unaware of their reduced olfactory capacity. Specifically, 1563 participants (almost 45 percent)โค reported no change in their sense of smell after โคinfection, yet 66 percent of these individuals demonstrated measurable deficitsโค in the smell test, with approximately 8 percent experiencing severe โขrestrictions.
Peter berlit, Secretary General of the germanโฃ Society for Neurology (DGN), confirms this issue is also observed in Germany. He notes โthat since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, he has observed the long-term consequences of COVID-19 and contributed to medical โคguidelines. โข”We โคalready know such a loss of the sense โof smell from influenza. But it is much lessโค frequent than during and after a corona infection.”
Smellโ Issues Even Without Known Infection
The study also revealed a surprising finding: approximately 60 percent of participants in the control group – those without a known prior infection – also โฃexhibitedโ limited smell perception. Researchers suggest this couldโ be due to undetected infections leadingโ to misclassification,or that smell โdisorders may be more โฃprevalent in the general population than previously thought.
Study author Horwitz emphasizes that “Even if patients may not notice this immediately, a โreduced perception of odors can have profound effects on their intellectual and physical well-being.”
Ongoingโค research โis investigating potential therapies to improve the sense of smell,including odor training and nutritional supplements like vitamin A. based on these findings, the research โteam recommends incorporating formal smell tests into routine post-COVID-19 care, allowing โfor earlier recognition andโ improved โtreatment of long-termโฃ consequences.