Younger COVID-19 patients more likely to recover smell, taste, study finds - UPI.com
People under age 40 who lose their sense of smell and taste due to COVID-19 are more likely to recover them than older adults, a study published Tuesday by the American Journal of Otolaryngology found.
www.upi.com
- People under age 40 who lose their sense of smell and taste due to COVID-19 are more likely to recover them than older adults, a study published Tuesday by the American Journal of Otolaryngology found.
In all, four out of five survivors of the disease recover these senses within six months, the data showed.
"We did see about an 80% recovery rate in a six-month period or longer," study co-author Dr. Evan Reiter said in a press release.
"However, 20% is still a lot of people, given the millions that have been afflicted with COVID-19," said Reiter, professor and vice chair of otolaryngology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond.
Loss of sense of smell and taste is considered a hallmark symptom of the virus, according to researchers.
People who experience these sensory declines for longer periods also may be at increased risk for severe illness, studies have found.
For this study, which is part of the ongoing COVID-19 smell and taste loss survey project at VCU, Reiter and his colleagues questioned 798 adults age 18 years and older who tested positive for the virus and reported sensory declines as a result.
Sense of taste may predict COVID-19 severity, study finds
Based on their findings regarding lingering loss of sense of smell and taste, given that there have been more than 230 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, more than 20 million people could be without these senses for longer than six months, according to the researchers.
In previous survey results, published in April, 43% of participants reported feeling depressed and 56% reported decreased enjoyment of life while experiencing loss of smell or taste, the researchers said.
The most common quality-of-life concern was reduced enjoyment of food, with 87% of respondents indicating it was an issue, according to the researchers.
I have maybe 10% of my sense of smell/taste courtesy of Johns Hopkins. I was never food oriented but it still removes some of the enjoyment of life particularly when I can't taste a favorite dish..
For a person food oriented, it has to be a living Hell.