About 5% of adults who get COVID-19 may develop long-lasting changes to their sense of smell or taste, based on latest study findings. 

Previous research already determined most of COVID’s long-lasting effects, including fatigue, shortness of breath, headache, and the so-called brain fog that causes an issue in considering and concentrating.

But a latest study published in The BMJ revealed that an estimated 5.6% (15 million) and 4.4% (12 million) of the five hundred million COVID cases worldwide could experience long-term deficiencies of their sense of smell and taste, respectively. 

Given the large impact that lack of smell and taste can have on an individual’s overall quality of life and health, the researchers warned that the latest findings could contribute to the rising burden of long COVID.

On average, about 40-50% of patients with COVID-19 have reported a change of their sense of smell and taste. But little is known concerning the clinical course of the symptoms or what number of patients develop persistent health issues after an acute infection.

To assist address this information gap, the researchers analyzed databases for studies of adults with COVID-19-related changes to their smell or taste. The team also checked out studies that described any aspects related to these changes and recovery time.

Studying 3,699 patients that met their criteria, the team found that smell loss persists in 5.5% of patients, while there are about 4.4% that won’t get better their sense of taste. After 30 days of initial infection, 74% of patients have reported smell recovery, while 70% reported taste recovery.

The recovery rates increased as time passed, reaching a peak of 96% for smell and 98% for taste after six months. Women were also less more likely to get better their sense of smell and taste than men.

Though the researchers acknowledged that their research got here with several limitations, the study was well-designed and used rigorous search methods. The findings were also unaltered after further evaluation.

“Our findings are more likely to be of considerable relevance to general doctors and otolaryngologists within the counseling of patients with smell and taste disorders post-COVID-19,” the researchers wrote, concluding that in the mean time, health systems are unprepared for the size of this challenge.