Kenya: Why Covid-19 makes you lose your sense of smell

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“I noticed for the first time that I had developed a loss of smell on Sunday, November 22, 2020,” says Lydia Rotich, 36. “I was in the living room with my husband watching the 7:00 pm news. I had left some food on the stove in the kitchen. The food started to burn but I couldn’t smell it. smell filled the kitchen and quickly reached the living room. ” Her husband alerted her to the smell of burning. “He said something was burning in the kitchen. I doubted him at first because I couldn’t smell anything. I decided to check the food just to be sure. It was totally burnt,” says- she. On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, Lydia had also lost her sense of taste. She couldn’t tell when her tea had too much sugar or when her food had too much salt. “The loss of smell caused me anxiety, but I tried to rule it out. I couldn’t accept the possibility of having Covid-19. But when I started to lose my senses taste too, my alarm bells went off, ”she said. Granted, Lydia says she tried to binge on a plate of pilau filled with chili sauce. She couldn’t taste anything either. “Whichever way I looked at it, it was pretty clear that I had probably contracted SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. But I was afraid to go to the hospital . I didn’t want to go into quarantine. I thought I wouldn’t survive, “she said. Instead, Lydia started taking a concoction of lemons, hot water, and garlic every four hours. It did not work. “By the time I got to the hospital for the tests, I had already infected my husband and my co-worker, even though they were both asymptomatic,” says Lydia.

Like Lydia, the majority of people who have had close contact with Covid-19 have experienced either a loss of smell or taste. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in December 2019, loss of smell has been one of the most common symptoms of Covid-19. These symptoms have manifested themselves in several medical studies that have attempted to understand why people lose their sense of smell and taste after contracting SARS-Cov-2. According to a medical study conducted by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School, loss of smell in Covid-19 patients is caused by types of olfactory cells that are found in the upper nasal cavity. They are the most vulnerable to infection with Covid-19.

How’s it going

The loss of smell is not progressive. It usually happens suddenly. In the majority of cases, patients lose their sense of smell even if they have no other symptoms indicating the presence of a Covid-19 infection. This makes loss of smell one of the initial and most important symptoms of Covid-19. According to Dr. Sandeep Robert Datta, professor of neurobiology, the sensory neurons that detect and transmit smell to the brain are not among the cell types vulnerable to SARS-Cov-2. “Covid-19 disease affects the loss of smell in patients by affecting the function of supporting cells rather than directly infecting neurons,” said Dr Robert. “This implies that infection of non-neuronal cell types is what causes loss of smell in patients with Covid-19.” This study shows that olfactory sensory neurons do not express the gene that codes for the receptor protein ACE2 which is used by Covid-19 to enter human cells. Rather, the receptor protein is expressed in cells that provide metabolic and structural support to olfactory sensory neurons. It is also expressed by certain stem cells and blood vessel cells. According to Dr. David Valencia, an ear, nose and throat specialist (ear, throat and nose specialist), when you suffer from loss of smell due to Covid-19, it is also likely that you will experience loss of taste or notice changes in your sense of taste. . “About 90 percent of Covid-19 patients who suffer from a loss of smell or taste experience improvement or recovery within four weeks. However, some patients experience permanent loss. Others suffer from a loss of smell or taste. condition known as phantosmia where they perceive odors that are not there or where they perceive pleasant smells as foul odors, “he says. Since the loss of smell occurs suddenly and without any other symptoms Associated with Covid-19, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Covid-19 guidelines warn that patients are likely to remain exposed or to expose others to the virus. This means that when symptoms do not appear early, rates increase of community transmission are highly likely.

Is it reversible?

According to Dr Robert, unlike other organ damage caused by Covid-19, the loss of smell can be reversed. “The order of effects shows that permanent damage is highly unlikely in the majority of patients. Covid-19 will hardly affect the olfactory neural circuits which can cause long-term and persistent loss of smell,” he said. he declares. Dr Robert points out that patients with Covid-19 who suffer from a loss of smell can recover within weeks if proper treatment is given. “Covid-19 patients experience loss of smell without any nasal obstruction or direct attacks by a subset of viral infections that take months to overcome,” he said. In some patients, however, it can take up to six months for a patient to regain their sense of smell.