Scientists have explained why people do not smell even after COVID-19
Miscellaneous / / April 05, 2023
A solution to this problem is already being worked on, and preliminary results are encouraging.
The reason some people can't smell after COVID-19 is due to ongoing immune attack on the cells of the olfactory nerve and, as a result, a decrease in the number these cells. About it informs a group of scientists led by doctors from Duke University.
Samples were taken in the study olfactory epithelium of 24 biopsies, nine of which were in people with long-term loss of smell. The samples were sequencing single-cell RNA and immunohistochemistry.
Nine samples with loss of smell were found to contain fewer olfactory sensory neurons than controls. This decrease could be due to tissue damage from ongoing inflammation. In addition, the results showed that there is extensive infiltration of T cells involved in the inflammatory epithelium.
The results are amazing. It almost looks like some kind of autoimmune process in the nose.
Bradley Goldstein
MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Duke University
Goldstein added that learning which areas are damaged and which cell types are involved is a key step in starting to develop treatments. He also noted that the researchers were encouraged that neurons seemed to retain some ability to recover even after a long immune onslaught.
We hope that modulating the abnormal immune response or repair processes in the noses of these patients may help to at least partially restore the sense of smell.
Bradley Goldstein
This work is currently being carried out in the laboratory and, perhaps, its results will finally solve the problem that haunts millions of people.
Despite the small sample size, the results of this study seem promising, and the mechanisms underlying a lack of smell may also explain other long-term symptoms of COVID-19, such as brain fog, general fatigue, and, for example, constant shortness of breath.
Have you experienced any long-term effects of COVID-19? Write in the comments.
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