Half of Covid cases from the first wave may have permanent damage to the sense of smell | Long Covid

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According to preliminary research from Sweden, nearly half of those who contracted COVID-19 in the first wave of infection may have long-lasting and even permanent changes in their sense of smell.

A sudden loss of smell, or poor or distorted perception of smells, has emerged as an unusual symptom of Covid early in the pandemic. While many people recovered quickly, others found that their sense of smell never returned to normal.

To find out how common disabilities are, scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm tested 100 people who had contracted COVID-19 in the first wave of infections that swept Sweden in the spring of 2020.

Their preliminary findings show that after 18 months of recovering from Covid, very few people – just 4% – had lost their sense of smell completely, but a third had a reduced ability to detect odors, and nearly half complained of distorted odor parosmia. Most people with reduced sense of smell were not aware of it before they joined the study.

The scientists then performed the same tests on a control group of people who tested positive for Covid antibodies, indicating that they had managed to avoid the virus. About a fifth were found to have similar deficiencies in the sense of smell, which means that olfactory disorders were common in the general public before Covid struck.

Writing in an initial version that has not yet been peer-reviewed, the scientists concluded that 65% of those who recovered from Covid showed either a loss of smell, a impaired sense of smell, or abnormalities of sensation 18 months after infection, compared to 20% of those who did not. They get infected with the virus. “Looking at the amount of time since then [the] Initial insult to the olfactory system, potentially permanent olfactory problems,” they wrote.

The volunteers recruited for the study were health care workers who had been regularly tested for COVID-19 since the start of the epidemic in Sweden. Because the study focused on people who contracted Covid in the first wave, none of the volunteers had been vaccinated at that time. For the same reason, their infections were caused by older versions of the virus, not the Omicron variant that is now spreading rapidly around the world.

Analysis by the UK’s Health Security Agency suggests the loss of smell or taste is less than half of what is common with Omicron of the delta variant, but Dr Johann Lundstrom, who led the research at Karolinska Institutet, said there was no reliable data to prove that was the case. Omicron is less dangerous to the olfactory system.

A slight loss of smell, or noticing that some smell strange smells, may not change the lives of many, but Lundström said that severe loss of smell can lead to depression and people change their diets, often for the worse, causing their situation. on weight.

“When you can’t smell, all you can feel are the five basic taste qualities, tactile sensations and spice,” he said. “Unconsciously, people start adding more sugar and fat, or have an increased desire to eat fried food for its texture, all to get some pleasure out of eating it.”

The biggest surprise in the study, Lundstrom said, was that nearly half of people who recovered from Covid reported a distorted sense of smell long after the infection. “Many of these individuals can get help through olfactory training,” he added. “They may not recover 100% of their previous performance, but most of them, with training, will return to a point where their sense of smell has no effect on their lives.”

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