As the pandemic continues to unfold, so do the long-term side effects of COVID-19. Long COVID is the term used to describe the symptoms that follow an active infection, which some people have found for several months after the onset of the virus. Symptoms associated with the condition so far include loss of taste and smell, fatigue, ‘brain fog’ and shortness of breath. Now a new symptom has been added to the long COVID grid: parosmia.
Parosmia is a dysfunction of the odor and has so far been most reported by younger COVID-19 patients, as well as health professionals. The condition differs from a loss of odor because sufferers rather find that they can smell something unrelated to their environment. Among the parosmia presentations, individuals reported smelling a ‘disgusting’ odor, including fire, sulfur and fish.
In an interview with CNN, Surgeon Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Professor Nirmal Kumar described the parosmia symptoms as “very strange and very unique”. Kumar, the president of ENT UK (a professional membership body representing ear, nose and throat surgery) was the first medical worker to identify loss of odor as a symptom of COVID-19. The condition that causes us to be unable to smell something is called anosmia.
During the examination of patients experiencing anosmia, Kumar notes that among them were people who actually experienced parosmia, where odors are distorted. Unfortunately, the odors almost always seem to be distorted at worst, and the condition can have a huge impact on quality of life and mental well-being.
“This virus has an affinity for the nerves in the head and in particular the nerve that controls the sense of smell,” Kumar said. ‘But it probably also affects other nerves and it affects, we think, neurotransmitters – the mechanisms that send messages to the brain … Some people report hallucinations, sleep disturbances and hearing changes. We do not know exact mechanisms, but we are finding ways to help patients recover. ‘
Some COVID-19 patients who recover resort to ‘odor therapy’ to restore their sense of smell, which according to Kumar are earlier reports on its effectiveness. The British charity AbScent is focused on such therapies, which they say can help both parosmia and anosmia patients recover. In collaboration with ENT UK and the British Rhinological Society, they are collecting data from thousands of patients with the aim of better understanding the emerging symptoms of long COVID and how best to treat it.