A new study revealed that the ability to smell after “Covid-19” may take up to a year to return to its normal state before contracting the disease.
Loss of smell, partial or complete, is one of the main specific symptoms of COVID-19. The recent study, published in the medical journal JAMA, says the loss of smell can last for up to a year.
A team of medical researchers analyzed 97 patients with severe loss of smell that persisted for more than seven days after a positive diagnosis of “Covid-19”.
Of the 97 participants, 51 underwent subjective and objective olfactory tests, the study says, meaning they had their sense of smell scanned and tested to confirm their responses.
These 51 patients took surveys every four months throughout the year to inquire about their ability to smell.
At the four-month mark, about 45 percent of 51 patients reported that they had fully recovered their sense of smell, according to the study. The majority, about 53%, said they had partially regained their sense of smell. The remaining 2% indicated that they did not feel any change in the strength of their sense of smell.
In the eight-month period, about 96% of the 51 patients reported a complete recovery. Two patients, or about 4%, continued to report a reduced sense of smell at one year.
The study says that about 28% of the 46 patients who underwent the personal test, reported a “satisfactory (acceptable) recovery” after four months of infection with “Covid-19”, while the remaining participants reported their recovery after 12 months.
Source: Business Insider