The reason for losing the sense of smell after infection with Corona

The reason for losing the sense of smell after infection with Corona

The new study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, indicates that

The SARS-CoV-2 infection constantly attacks the immune system on nerve cells in the nose.

This causes a decrease in the number of these neurons, and makes people unable to smell as well as they normally do.

In response to a question that baffled experts, neuroscientist Bradley Goldstein of Duke University in North Carolina says:

“Fortunately, many people who have an altered sense of smell during the acute phase of a viral infection will regain it within the next week or two, but some cannot.

We need to better understand why this subset of people will continue to lose their sense of smell for months and even years after infection with SARS-CoV-2.”

Reason

For this reason, a medical team studied nasal tissue samples taken from 24 people, including nine who suffered from a prolonged loss of sense of smell after infection with “Covid-19”.

This tissue carries the nerve cells responsible for detecting odors.

After a detailed analysis, the researchers noted the widespread proliferation of T cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection.

These T cells were driving an inflammatory response inside the nose.

And the medical team found that T cells do more harm than good, as they damage the olfactory epithelial tissue, and they also found that the inflammatory process is still evident even in tissues where SARS-CoV-2 was not detected.

“The results are amazing,” says Goldstein. It's almost like some kind of autoimmune-like process in the nose."

olfactory recovery

While the number of olfactory sensory neurons was lower in study participants who had lost their sense of smell

The researchers report that some neurons appear to be able to repair themselves even after a bombardment of T cells — an encouraging sign.

The team sought to investigate in more detail the specific areas of tissue that were damaged, and the types of cells involved.

This may lead to the development of possible treatments for those who suffer from long-term loss of smell.

“We hope that modifying the abnormal immune response or repairs inside the nose of these patients will help restore the sense of smell at least partially,” says Goldstein.

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