It’s a strange side effect. But could it provide clues as to how coronavirus attacks the body?
Why do some people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell? And what can be learned from it? Scientists are examining tissue removed from patients’ noses during surgery, believing they may have discovered the reason why so many people with COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, even when they have no other symptoms, and as a result one way or another the body virus.
In a study published in the European Respiratory Journal on Wednesday, researchers found extremely high levels of “angiotensin-converting enzyme II,” or ACE-2, only in the area of the nose responsible for smoking. The ACE-2 enzyme is thought to be the gateway through which coronavirus can enter the body’s cells and cause an infection.
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‘These results suggest that this area of the nose may be where the coronavirus enters the body. ‘
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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore conducted the study, led by Professor Andrew Lane, director of the division of rhinology and skull base surgery, and Dr. Mengfei Chen, a research fellow. They used fluorescent dyes on the tissue samples to detect and visualize the presence of ACE-2 in the nasal cells.
The study used these samples from the back of the nose of 23 patients, removed during endoscopic surgical procedures for conditions such as tumors or “chronic rhinosinusitis,” an inflammatory disease of the nose and sinuses. They also studied biopsies from the trachea (windpipe) of seven patients. None of the patients had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
“This technique showed us that the levels of ACE-2 – the ‘entry point’ protein COVID-19 were highest in the part of the nose that enables us,” said Chen. “These results suggest that this area of the nose may be where the coronavirus enters the body.” They found most ACE-2 on the lining cells of the ‘olfactory epithelium’ at the back of the nose, where we detect odors.
In fact, the levels of ACE-2 in these cells were between 200 and 700 times higher than other tissues in the nose and trachea, Chen said, and they found similarly high levels in all olfactory epithelium samples. The ACE-2 enzyme was not detected on olfactory neurons, the nerve cells that transmit odor information to the brain.
“The olfactory epithelium is a fairly easy part of the body for a virus to reach, it is not buried deep in our body, and the very high levels of ACE-2 we found there may explain why it so easy to COVID- 19, ”said Chen. Lane added that this research could enable doctors to tackle the infection with antiviral therapies delivered directly through the nose.
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Many common respiratory infections, such as coughs and colds, can cause us to temporarily lose our sense of smell, said Tobias Welte, professor of pulmonary medicine and director of the Department of Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases at the Hannover University School of Medicine, Germany. Welte, who was not involved in this study, said that this study may reveal why this happens in so many patients.
It may also be one reason why COVID-19 is so infected, and he added, this theory could offer potentially more effective treatments. “It suggests that the part of our nose responsible for smoking may also be the place where the coronavirus gets a boost in the body. This finding will need to be confirmed, but it offers new possibilities to treat the infection. ”
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Another study found evidence of direct viral damage to the olfactory system in two patients who died from COVID-19.
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A separate study released earlier this month and published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal, looked at the nasal cells of two patients who died of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID – 19, and found evidence of direct viral damage to the sensory system used for odors in patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.
As of Wednesday, the US still had the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world (5,486,232) and deaths (171,877). Worldwide, there were 22,179,934 confirmed cases and 781,932 deaths. COVID-19 affects the respiratory system, but doctors said it also affects the cardiovascular system, affects organs and causes blood clots in some patients, even young ones.
Some younger COVID-19 patients who were otherwise healthy suffer from loss of taste and / or smoke, blood clots and stroke. Many “long-haulers” – COVID-19 patients who remained symptoms for months after the first infection – report neurological problems, including confusion, concentration problems, headaches, extreme fatigue, mood swings, and insomnia.
Coronavirus update: The Dow Jones Industrial Index DJIA,
of the S&P 500 SPX,
and the Nasdaq Composite COMP,
wanted higher on Wednesday afternoon in hopes of Round 2 of the congressional pandemic relief program. The S&P 500 index closed its first record close since Feb. 19 on Tuesday, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
AstraZeneca AZN,
in combination with Oxford University; BioNTech SE BNTX,
and partner Pfizer PFE,
; GlaxoSmithKline GSK,
Johnson & Johnson JNJ,
; Merck & Co. NOTE,
; Modern MRNA,
; and Sanofi SAN,
are among those currently working on COVID-19 vaccines.
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