The researchers from the Medical University of Bialystok (Jakub Okrzeja, Sebastian Sołomacha, Paweł Sowa, Marlena Dubatówka, Magda Łapińska, Łukasz Szczerbiński, Piotr Czupryna, Bożena Kubas, Adam Garkowski, Karol Adam Kamiński, Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska) published the article „Assessment of smell disturbances 6 months after COVID-19 in Polish population” in Scientific reports.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus usually causes lung infections leading to pneumonia, but it can also attack other organs such as the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems. Loss of smell, often associated with viral infections, is a common symptom of COVID-19. In the acute phase of the disease, olfactory loss affects between 34% and 86% of patients, and after two weeks of recovery, only half regain this sense. Full recovery can take up to six months. The pathogenesis of anosmia (olfactory loss) associated with COVID-19 is not fully understood but is associated with damage to the sensory-nerve system, olfactory epithelium, and inflammatory processes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate olfactory impairment six months after coronavirus infection.
The results showed the patient's older age was associated with a lower likelihood of olfactory recovery. The greatest difficulties in recognizing odors were related to orange, lemon and coffee, with the smell of lemon being the most problematic. However, comparing the results between the infection waves: Delta, Omicron, Wild Type and Wild Type Alpha showed significant differences, especially between the Delta and Wild Type waves. Duration of illness and level of immune system response showed significant negative correlations with test results.
The research was financed under the OPUS-19 program (project no. 2020/37/B/NZ7/03380) financed by the National Science Center.
Link to the article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62114-y
