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People with “prolonged COVID” experience an unpleasant odor.
The unusual side effect is known as parosmia, an olfactory disorder, which consists of the false perception of a smell, Sky News.
Surgeon Nirmal Kumar called the symptom “very strange and very unique.”
Kumar was one of the first doctors to identify anosmia, the loss of odor, as an indicator of coronavirus in March.
He asked the UK Public Health Service to add the condition to the list of symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus infection a few months before it was officially recognized.
Now he noted that among the thousands of patients in the UK treated for anosmia, some are experiencing parosmia.
Kumar said that patients experience olfactory hallucinations, which means that “the sense of smell is distorted and, above all, unpleasant, sadly.”
He added that “it really bothers patients and their quality of life suffers.”
“Prolonged COVID” is a term used to describe the effects of the coronavirus that can continue for weeks or months after illness.
Describing it as a “neurotropic virus,” Kumar explained: “This virus has an affinity for the nerves of the head and, in particular, for the nerve that controls the sense of smell, but we think it probably affects other nerves, like neurotransmitters, the mechanisms that send messages to the brain. “.
Added: “Some people report hallucinations, sleep disturbances, changes in hearing”.
Daniel Saveski, a 24-year-old banker living in London, said he lost his sense of taste and smell for two weeks after contracting the virus in March and has suffered from parosmia ever since.
Saveski, from West Yorkshire, said that certain objects or foods with a strong odor now have a burning smell, similar to that emanating from a “toast.”
He added: “My enjoyment of food has diminished and it’s a bit depressing not being able to smell certain foods.”.
Lynn Corbett said she was “surprised” when she noticed that she “didn’t identify any smell or taste.”
“From March to the end of May I couldn’t feel any taste”, she said.
He said the sense of smell began to return in June, but “nothing smelled like it should.”
“Most of the things smelled unpleasant. This smell is difficult to describe because I have not seen it before.”, she also said.
She said that despite being previously “addicted to coffee,” the drink now smells “unbearable,” just like beer and gasoline.
Although she’s not sure if she’ll ever regain her sense of smell, Corbett said: “I’m fine with it, I just think I’m lucky. I wasn’t seriously ill, hospitalized and didn’t die from it (no virus), like so many others”.
Several experts recommend that anyone with parosmia undergo “smell training,” which involves smelling rose, lemon, clove, and eucalyptus oils every day for about 20 seconds to slowly regain their sense of smell.
“There are some promising reports that such training helps patients.”Kumar added.
He also mentioned that most people will eventually regain their normal sense of smell.
