In 2020, the world was taken by surprise with a pandemic caused by a virus that causes a disease that, until then, was unknown. Over these two years, we have been discovering its symptoms and also its consequences in survivors. One of the most common is the loss of smell during and also in recovery from Covid-19.
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In addition to shortness of breath in times of physical stress and poor memory, many patients report loss of smell after recovering from Covid-19. The symptom can persist for a few weeks, however there are people who never managed to regain consciousness.
Why do people lose their sense of smell with Covid-19?
Research conducted by the Duke University School of Medicine studied the loss of smell caused by the virus and what exactly caused it. As published, this happens because there is a continuous immune attack on the olfactory cells.
The research, conducted by Ph. d. Bradley Goldstein and colleagues at Duke examined cell samples taken from 24 biopsies from nine patients who reported the same symptom after illness. The scans showed extensive penetration of T cells in an inflammatory response.
Not only that, but the olfactory sensory neurons also decreased. As the research pointed out, this was likely due to damage from the ongoing inflammation caused by Covid-19. “It's like an autoimmune process in the nose,” explained Goldstein.
How to reverse the frame?
Doctors and scientists are now studying to learn which sites are damaged and which types of cells are involved. Only then will they be able to start a treatment that is 100% effective.
"We are hopeful that modulating an abnormal immune response or repair processes in the nose of patients may help to restore, even partially, the sense of smell," said the doctor.
It is important to emphasize that this research is still in progress.
other symptoms
Goldstein and the team are also working on other longer symptoms of Covid-19. Even those who had the disease in a milder form also experienced discomfort during or after recovering.
Among the most common are fatigue, fever, respiratory distress, muscle pain, joint or digestive tract disorders and hair loss. Before vaccination, many people also reported loss of taste, however this symptom seems to be less common due to immunization or this new strain that is circulating.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
