(Newser)
– A lost sense of smell is one of the strangest symptoms of COVID-19. How often does it really happen? A new study published in Journal of Internal Medicine put a few numbers on it. The study is based on an analysis of 2,581 patients seen at 18 hospitals in Europe, according to a press release. Those with severe to critical cases reported the rare symptom: only 6.9% of the time. Said moderate cases, at 4.5%. But most of those with mild cases experienced it – 85.9%. And he stayed around. The symptom lasted an average of 21.6 days, although 24.1% of patients “did not subjectively recover their sense of smell 60 days after the onset of dysfunction,” according to the study.
In addition to self-reported data, the study considered objective clinical evaluations in a subgroup of 233 patients, who also found that olfactory dysfunction was more prevalent in mild cases. The study’s authors hypothesize that the increased prevalence is due to differences in immune responses. Their care: “High prevalence … supports the need for primary care physicians, ears, nose and throat (ENT) and neurologists to be able to advise patients on the likelihood of recovery and to identify those at risk of persistent OD. “NBC News has a clear explanation for why experts believe that smell is affected in the first place: it refers to cells that help direct neurons to the brain when we smell something; a receptor known as ACE2 covers those cells, and ACE2 is followed by And “there is no guarantee that those nerve connections will ever find their way back to their normal ways.” (Read more COVID-19 articles.)