Covid study finds millions have long-term smell or taste problems

A study suggests that women are more likely to be affected by smell or taste problems as a result of Covid-19.

According to the research published in the bmj, about 5% of adults may develop long- lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste.

There may be long-term smell deficiencies for 15 million people and taste problems for 12 million people, with an unknown overlap of those suffering both, for at least six months after an infections.

The team of international researchers say that the loss of smell and taste will have a huge impact on the health of the world.

They call for health systems to be better prepared to support people who feel isolated when they are dismissed by clinicians.

Experts say that smelling coffee and testing the flavour of food can be upsetting.

Data from 18 studies were reviewed. Modelling was used to estimate the number of people who will suffer from altered taste or smell for at least six months after a Covid-19 infections.

According to their analysis, an estimated 5.6% of patients have smell problems for at least six months.

Women were less likely to recover their sense of smell and taste than men, and patients with more severe smell loss were less likely to recover their sense of smell.

A female patient told researchers that she hadn't recovered her sense of smell 27 months after she was first hospitalized.

There are limitations to the research. The studies analysed varied in quality and relied on self- reporting, though they say this may overestimate recovery, suggesting that the true burden of olfactory impairment is even greater.

While most patients are expected to recover their sense of smell or taste within the first three months, a major group of patients may develop long- lasting function that requires timely identification, treatment and long-term follow up.

Prof Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London, who was not involved with the research, said: "This is a strong and important study, alerting us once again to the difficulties inherent in charting the scale of long term damage caused by Covid-19."

The authors used a rigorous meta-analysis to model the time to recover taste and smell. Quality of life can be affected by issues with taste and smell.

This is part of a larger discussion about how long Covid is assessed and addressed. Studies such as this alert us to the hidden burden out there of people suffering with persistent symptoms, but maybe not having thought it worth contacting the GP on the assumption there wouldn't be much to be done.