While experts are discovering new aspects to COVID-19, coronavirus cases are continuing to climb. The latest research shows coronavirus patients may lose their sense of smell as well as the sense of taste for as long as they live.
Coronavirus symptoms include a loss in not only smell but also taste; these symptoms are major symptoms of the illness. Other more obvious symptoms include a consistent cough and high temperatures.
New research suggests that among ten patients at least one who loses the sense of taste and smell may never get them back. This is an alarming observation as senses of taste and smell are an integral part of the human experience.
Among the reports, they found that only 40 percent of patients reported improvements while 10 percent of them complained that their symptoms grew worse.
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So far the death rate from coronavirus from the UK is climbing. The death toll currently stands at 43,000 people; the global number however is even higher at 521,000 deaths.
Anosmia is a term that describes a loss of taste and loss of smell. There could be and so many reasons besides coronavirus fo causing anosmia.
These symptoms are however considered important symptoms of coronavirus when it has entered a lateral stage. This observation came after several patients experienced a loss of taste and smell.
According to the NHS, anyone who reports such symptoms should social distance from other people and self-quarantine for at least 14 days. This is important because it will limit the person’s contact with other people and give them a chance to recover in isolation.
The researchers of this report published their discovery in the journal of JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
As more and more research on coronavirus symptoms come forth, thousands of patients may face these health issues for the rest of their life. These reports only further confirm the severity of this illness.
Researchers ran a survey through 187 Italian sufferers of coronavirus. These people who were part of the survey were all those that chose not to go to the hospital despite knowing they had the virus.
They were questioned about the difference in their senses especially the taste and smell after they first found they were suffering from coronavirus. After a month passed by they were asked to evaluate their senses for the second time. The results found that people who were a part of this survey, only 113 reported a difference in their senses.
Among the remaining, 55 said that they were fully recovered fully, 46 said they saw an improvement in their symptoms, and 12 marked that their symptoms as unchanged.
Patients who reported a severity in their symptoms take longer to recover.
Dr. Joshua Levy from the Emory University School of Medicine has written about the low interventions for patients going through these symptoms are.
He says despite having a high success rate of decision, there’s a major number of patients who are likely to come in for treatment due to unresolved issues from the virus.
Dr. Levy believes that people who have long-lasting issues from coronavirus should undergo smell training to help get back their senses.
Among researchers on the study, one researcher who is also the president of the British Rhinological Society Dr. Claire Hopkins, believes only some people will recover immediately. Other patients however may recover much more slowly.
She explains why this happens by pointing out how those who recover faster had the virus affecting cells that line their nose only. For those who take longer to recover however the virus may probably invade the cells that are responsible for smell too, therefore recovering and repairing these cells takes their bodies longer.
She suggests that people who are struggling with these coronavirus symptoms should find help from charities for example AbScent. These charities are a great support for those who have been dealing with these issues for a while.
