What Is Parosmia? Know the Effects of Long COVID for People Who Cannot Enjoy Good-tasting Food

parosmia long COVID COVID-19 loss of smell or taste sense of smell or taste Natalia Cano Allergy and Rhinology Dr. Andrew Schamess The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Dr. Simon Gane London Nose and Sinus Clinic smell training sodium citrate solutions Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation olfactory sensors

By Lilian Scott , Parent Herald Dec 14, 05:58 pm

A young recovered patient of COVID-19 has not enjoyed a good meal since she developed parosmia nearly a year ago. After catching the deadly virus, Natalia Cano, 20, said that every food she eats now smells like garbage and tastes bad.

Cano has been sharing her challenging journey as someone still suffering from the impact of long COVID on TikTok. She said that even drinking water tastes like chemicals in her mouth.

@hannahbakedReply to @hannahbaked i can try to answer more questions! #parosmia #parosmiapostcovid #BetterTogetherChallenge #PlutoTVDecades #VansCheckerboardDay ♬original sound - Natalia ☭

What is Parosmia?

Cano is not alone as a study in the journal Allergy and Rhinology showed that 10 percent of recovered COVID-19 patients suffer from parosmia, including patients as young as 15 years old. The study also indicated that women with this long COVID symptom suffer more than men by 73.6 percent, and many of them have had a history of past allergies.

According to the experts, parosmia occurs when a person's olfactory sensors change due to an infection, a seizure, or a brain tumor. From the onset of this pandemic, the doctors have stated that COVID-19's most common symptoms include the loss of taste or smell since the nose's sensors could stop working.

Dr. Andrew Schamess of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center also said that parosmia could damage the functions of the cells in the nervous system. This means that even if the nose has recovered its chemical receptors, the brain may still be unable to process what is happening in the olfactory pathway, so food or drinks could still smell or taste differently.

Unfortunately for people like Cano, long COVID has robbed her of the pleasure of eating. Schamess said that he has seen a few recovered patients becoming "dangerously underweight" because of parosmia. They could also have issues with personal hygiene or home care since their sensors are still distorted.

Going Back to Normal

The doctors said that there's no exact timeline for recovery from parosmia. Cano has been suffering for ten months, while other patients have gotten their senses back to normal three months after COVID-19.

Dr. Simon Gane of the London Nose and Sinus Clinic said that patients suffering from this condition could be aided with smell training or sniffing different scents for 20 seconds every day. For some patients, taking medications with sodium citrate solutions could also help.

Cano said that she's due for a consultation with a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). While rTMS is a common therapy for patients with depression, studies have shown that it has an 80 percent recovery rate for patients who have lost their sense of smell or taste.

However, other doctors believe that parosmia is part of the body's recovery process. There may be some "miswiring" along the way as the damaged cells regenerate. The miswiring happens because the sensors are still protecting the person from substances that may likely pose more infection risks. In due time, the miswiring will put the sensors back in order.