![]() ![]() It used to be believed that loss of taste was just a misunderstood loss of smell, Dalton said, but recent research suggests that occasionally people can lose their sense of taste without loss of smell.Ĭlaudia Gathercole, of Granger, Iowa, recently lost her ability to taste. Garlic and ginger, for instance, provide sensory input through the nose as much or more than the taste buds, Bhattacharyya said. Typically, the sense of taste depends on smell. That can be a good sign− it suggests the sense of smell is slowly returning, she said. Pamela Dalton, a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said the findings are in line with her own, similar studies.ĬOVID-19 can also lead to distorted smells favorite scents can suddenly resemble the smell of garbage, Dalton said. Roughly 5.2 million people suffered partial loss, and in 800,000, "it was really zapped," he said. Neil Bhattacharyya, a professor of otolaryngology at Mass Eye and Ear, said he was surprised both by the number of those affected and by how it lingered in so many. ![]() The likelihood of recovery was also lower in those with more severe symptoms, the study found.Ĭo-author Dr. Those with the most severe COVID-19 symptoms were most likely to report a loss of smell or taste. Some in that group may have caught COVID-19 in 2020 and were still lacking sensation the following year, and some may have been reporting a more recent result. Though about three-quarters reported sensory recovery, the remainder saw partial or no return of smell and/or taste. The analysis found 14% of American adults had been diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2021, and more than 60% reported a loss of smell and 58% a loss of taste. People who had contracted COVID-19 were asked about the severity of their symptoms, any loss of taste or smell, and their recovery of those senses. The new study, published in the journal The Laryngoscope, looked at the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which includes survey data from 29,696 adults. "That did this to me and not to my friend next door?" Recent findings on COVID-19's effect on smell "What is that virus that did this?" she said. Tom ran a fever of 104 degrees for two days, but, like most of their friends, he recovered just fine. She realizes that there are worse problems to have and that people have more troublesome lingering effects of infection.īut that's one of the things Milne finds most baffling and concerning about COVID-19. "So there's some danger involved," she said.Ībout six months ago, after losing the family's beloved 13-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, Abby, and breaking her foot, Milne acknowledges "sitting here feeling really good and sorry for myself." And her favorite foods no longer made her feel better: "That is missing − the mental reward you get using food." She has burned a few things ‒ not noticing until Tom asked if she was intentionally burning down the kitchen. Milne, a volunteer in a Mass General Brigham patient study of COVID-19-related smell and taste loss, can no longer taste the wine (though she can still identify cheap vintages from the mouth feel) and she needs her husband to tell her if what they've made is any good. She loves to cook with her husband, Tom, and share a glass of wine while they do. It has been unclear why many people, like Milne, endure sensory loss longer.Ī new study based on a 2021 national survey found more than 6 million people reported sensory loss as of that year, and a quarter reported long-term deficits.įor Milne, 59, a software marketing professional in Pelham, New Hampshire, the loss has been depressing and disorienting. Although variants of omicron seem to have less effect on smell, about 15% of those infected endure at least a temporary loss. Loss of smell was one of the defining characteristics of COVID-19 when it first spread in 2020 about 80% of those infected reported at least short-term loss. But while her infection resolved almost a year ago, her smell and taste have not returned. Watch Video: Cleveland woman can smell the coffee after two-year-long COVID battleīy the second day of her COVID-19 infection, Lisa Milne was so congested she couldn't taste or smell anything.Ī week later, when an antiviral and her immune system had worked their magic, she was almost back to normal. ![]()
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