27 million Covid patients will be affected in the long term by smell and taste – Revista Galileo

At least 27 million adult patients are infected COVID-19 they can It has shortcomings going and palateIn the long term, calculates a study published Wednesday (27) in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

According to the survey, this corresponds to about 5% of infected adults illness. Of the total affected people, more than 15 million may have difficulty smelling, while 12 million may have difficulty tasting food. The authors’ team, led by experts from the National University of Singapore, caution that the impact on health and quality of life could increase rates of Covid-19 is long.

in report The scientists explained that they scanned data from studies of adults with Covid-19 losing sense of smell and taste, as well as articles that described factors associated with these changes and recovery time. In all, 18 observational analyzes involving more than 3,600 patients met the criteria, four of which were performed in a community setting and 14 in a hospital setting.

The analysis relied on healing modeling, a mathematical technique that allowed the estimation of self-reported rates of smell and taste recovery, as well as factors associated with the persistence of discomfort and the likelihood of injury. recovery. The conclusion was that the loss of smell may persist in 5.6% of patients, while 4.4% may not regain taste.

Only 74% of patients reported having regained their sense of smell and 79% of taste, about a month after contracting the virus. Corona Virus. The rate of symptom improvement increased each month, peaking at 96% for smell and 98% for taste after six months.

in Women They were less likely to regain both sensory abilities compared to men. Patients with greater initial olfactory intensity and those with nasal congestion were less likely to recover their sense of smell.

In one surprising case, a patient interviewed by researchers said she had not regained her sense of smell more than 27 months after contracting the virus. SARS-CoV-2. The authors note that no different type of coronavirus has been reported in the scientific literature in association with a loss of this feeling or taste.

The study acknowledges some limitations, such as the fact that the surveys analyzed varied in quality and relied on patient reports, which “may overestimate cure, suggesting that the true burden of olfactory dysfunction is greater.”

The conclusion was that while most people regain consciousness within the first trimester, many may experience long-term dysfunction that “requires timely identification, personalized treatment and long-term follow-up”.

Scholars recommend that health leaders, policy makers and research funders give importance to the topic, and allocate resources and support the doctors which encounters an extraordinary number of patients with dysfunction.