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Approximately 5% (at least 27 million) of adults infected with COVID-19 worldwide can lose their sense of smell and taste over a long period of time. research Was announced in The BMJ Indicates.
Researchers have found that 5.6% of patients may have long-lasting odor loss and 4.4% may not restore taste. Thirty days after infection, only 74% of patients reported a recovery of the sense of smell, and 79% of patients reported a recovery of taste. After 180 days, these numbers increased to 96% and 98%, respectively.
Sensitivity analysis of the data suggests that this may be an underestimate, the authors say, led by Benjamin Kejintan, MBBS of the Yonglulin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.
Accompanying editorialPaolo Boscolo-Rizzo, MD, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Italy, and colleagues found that the findings show that the medical system is not prepared for the resulting treatment needs. It writes that it suggests that there is a possibility.
They say that the loss of odor and taste reduces the quality of life and the loss of everyday enjoyment.People can also experience anorexiaDisgust for some foods, anxiety, depressionAnd numb malnutrition.
“”[G]Despite an estimated 550 million covid-19 reports worldwide as of July 2022, many patients seek treatment for these impaired morbidities. Therefore, the healthcare system needs to be ready to provide support to these patients, who often feel isolated when clinicians overlook symptoms, “Boscolo-Rizzo et al. Write.
More women are affected
Tan’s team has discovered that women can be particularly affected. The data show that female gender was associated with poor recovery of both smell and taste. Also, those with early severity of dysfunction and stuffy nose were only associated with inadequate recovery of the sense of smell.
“Most patients are expected to recover their sense of smell or taste within the first three months, but a major subpopulation of patients can develop long-term dysfunction,” the author writes. “These patients need timely identification, [personalized] Long-term follow-up of treatment and associated sequelae. “
The results of this study, published online Wednesday, may help general practitioners and otolaryngologists advise patients with sensory and taste disorders after COVID infection.
Changes in the ability to smell and taste are common in COVID-19. About 40% to 50% of people report these changes worldwide. However, little is known about how long the changes will last and who the risks are more prevalent.
The international team has combined a database for studies of adults with changes in odor and taste associated with COVID-19 and studies that explain the factors associated with these changes and the time it took people to recover. rice field.
In total, 18 observational studies, including 3699 patients, met the study criteria. Most studies (14) were conducted on inpatients, four from the community.
Researchers then used a technique known as “therapeutic modeling” to estimate self-reported sensory and taste recovery rates and identify key factors related to recovery length and likelihood.
The authors write that the recovery rate increased monthly, reaching a peak of 96% for the sense of smell and 98% for the sense of taste after 6 months.
Limitations include the different quality of studies analyzed and reliance on self-reporting.
BMJ. Published online on July 27, 2022. Full text, editorial
The author and editor have not reported any relevant financial relationships.
Marcia Frellick is a freelance journalist based in Chicago.She previously Chicago Tribune, Science news, And Nurse.com, and was the editor Chicago Sun Times, Cincinnati EnquirerAnd that St. Cloud (Minnesota) Times.. Follow her on her Twitter. @mfrellick.
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