Millions of people in the US have lost their sense of smell after contracting Covid-19

There are deaths, consequences for hospital maintenance, and economic, social, and health consequences for other illnesses. But among the long-term effects of SarsCov2 infection, there is also another effect that is certainly less serious than the listed but can not be neglected: according to research conducted on JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in fact in the United States out of 700 thousand and one and a half million people suffer Those who have contracted Covid lose their sense of smell for more than six months, and thus recover it in most cases. Sometimes, however, this never happened.

According to the study authors, this would be a worrying phenomenon. before the epidemic In fact, only 13.3 million adults aged 40 and over suffer from what scientists call olfactory dysphoria (OD) or chronic dysphoria (COD). “The research data suggest that there are public health concerns arising from OD and the urgent need for a study focused on the treatment of COD in Covid-19.” According to the file, 72% of people who contracted the disease regained their sense of smell after a month, but for some the process was much slower. He said that long-term loss of smell may seem like a trivial result compared to other symptoms of the long-term Covid virus, such as chronic fatigue or heart problems, but the inability to smell can be dangerous. A 2014 study found that people who had lost their sense of smell were more than twice as likely to be at risk of eating spoiled food than those who had lost their sense of smell, and loss of smell has also been linked to depression in previous studies. They realized that their house was burning after they lost their sense of smell.”