According to a preliminary study published today, to be presented today, February 22, 2021, at the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology and to be held virtually, people with COVID-19 can have their olfactory and cancerous symptoms for up to five months after being infected Lose your sense of taste April 17-22, 2021.
While COVID-19 is a new disease, previous research shows that most people lose their sense of smell and taste in the early stages of the disease. We wanted to go further and investigate how long this loss of smell and taste lasts and how severe it is in people with COVID-19.
Study author Johannes Frasnelli, MD, of the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres, Canada.
The study included 813 healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19. Each person completed an online questionnaire and home test to assess their sense of taste and smell an average of five months after diagnosis. They rated their sense of taste and smell on a scale of 0 to 10. Zero meant no sense at all and 10 meant a strong sense of taste or smell. The researchers found that the average person did not fully regain their sense of smell.
A total of 580 people lost their sense of smell when they became ill. Of this group, 297 participants, or 51%, said they had not regained their sense of smell five months later, while 134 participants, or 17%, had a persistent loss of smell when assessed with the home test. On average, people rated their sense of smell at seven out of ten after the illness, compared with nine out of ten before they got sick.
A total of 527 participants lost their sense of taste during the first illness. Of this group, 200 people, or 38%, said they had not regained their sense of taste five months later, while 73 people, or 9%, had persistent loss of taste when assessed using the home test. On average, people rated their sense of taste eight out of ten after the illness, compared with nine out of ten before they got sick.
Our results show that a number of people with COVID-19 may persist with impaired smell and taste. He stressed the importance of contacting infected people and that further research is needed to determine the extent of the neurological problems associated with COVID-19.
Johannes Frasnelli
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