Study finds COVID-19 damage to sense of smell can last years - UPI.com

A COVID-19 infection might blunt a person's sense of smell for years afterward, but so subtly they might not even notice it, researchers wrote in a new study. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A COVID-19 infection might blunt a person's sense of smell for years afterward, but so subtly they might not even notice it, a new study says.

In all, 4 out of 5 people who reported that COVID-19 had altered their sense of smell still scored low on a clinical scent detection test taken about two years later, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

In addition, two-thirds of COVID-19 patients who didn't notice any problems smelling as a result of their infection also scored abnormally low on the test, researchers said.

"Our findings confirm that those with a history of COVID-19 may be especially at risk for a weakened sense of smell, an issue that is already underrecognized among the general population," co-lead researcher Dr. Leora Horwitz, a professor of population health and medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in a news release.