According to a new study, nearly 90 percent of people who lost their sense of smell and taste for coronavirus either fully recovered or improved within a month, but about 10 percent never recovered.
Italian research found that 49 percent of patients fully regained their sense of smell or taste and 40 percent improved, but the rest reported that their symptoms remained the same or worsened, the BBC reported.
Loss of sense of smell or taste, known as anosmia, among some people infected with COVID-19 has been recognized as central symptoms of the error, but the new study found that it does not always return.
The international team of researchers studied 187 Italians infected but not sick enough to be hospitalized. They were asked to rate their sense of smell or taste shortly after being diagnosed and then a month later.
Of the total 113 who reported a change in their sense of smell and / or taste, 55 said they had fully recovered, 46 reported improvements in their symptoms, and 12 said their symptoms had not changed or worsened, according to the media. of news.
Those who reported severe symptoms said it took them longer to improve.
The experts published their findings in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
“Even with a high resolution rate, the staggering number affected by this evolving pandemic suggests an almost certain flood of patients who are likely to show up to treat unresolved symptoms,” wrote Dr. Joshua Levy of the School of Medicine. from Emory University in Atlanta. the newspaper.
Levy suggested that in long-term cases, people might consider therapy, such as smell training to help restore the senses.
Professor Claire Hopkins, one of the researchers, said her team is conducting more research on people with lasting symptoms.
“The data for other viral diseases, and some of the new data we are collecting, suggest that the vast majority of people will improve, but for some, recovery will be slow,” Hopkins, president of the British Society of Rhinology, told the BBC.
“For people who recover more quickly, the virus likely has only affected the cells that line their nose,” he said. “For people who recover more slowly, it may be that the virus has also affected the nerves involved in the smell. These nerve cells may take longer to repair and regenerate. “
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