Scientists discover how COVID-19 robs patients of their sense of smell

Many COVID-19 patients around the world have revealed that one of their first symptoms was losing their sense of smell. Until now, scientists have been puzzled by how a virus can rob your senses. However, researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered that temporary loss of smell, called anosmia, is one of the main neurological symptoms and one of the first and most frequent signs of COVID-19.

According to Harvard Medical School, loss of smell is a better indicator of coronavirus than other symptoms such as fever and cough. Harvard researchers determined exactly which olfactory or olfactory cells were affected by the virus. They found the ACE2 receptor protein in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, binds to structural cells in the nose and not to sensory neurons.

Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta, lead author of the new research study that was published in the journal Science Advances said:

“I think this is good news, because once the infection goes away, the olfactory neurons don’t seem to need to be replaced or rebuilt from scratch.”

According to the UK Daily Mail, Datta said his team’s findings showed that the loss of smell in COVID-19 patients was not due to the infection destroying the neurons themselves, but rather attacking the supporting cells. According to the Daily Mail, one in 10 people who become mildly ill with the virus still struggle to smell or taste a month after the illness.

Another researcher, Dr. Claire Hopkins, told the BBC: “The data for other viral diseases, and some of the new data that we are collecting, suggests that the vast majority of people will improve, but for some, recovery will be slow”.

He added that those who regain their sense of smell more quickly likely suffered damage only to the cells that line their nose. Others, struggling to regain their sense of smell, may have suffered nerve damage.

The study results could help develop an effective treatment for anosmia and its diagnosis, according to the Harvard Medical School.

“Anosmia seems like a curious phenomenon, but it can be devastating for the small fraction of people in whom it is persistent,” said Datta, an associate professor of neurobiology. “It can have serious psychological consequences and it could be a major public health problem if we have a growing population with permanent loss of smell.”