hEight out of ten Kovid-19 patients lose the ability to smell. And some, even after several months of recovery, can’t find it. For all the nose work and even for anyone doing it on a daily basis (for example, how do you smell smoke when there’s a fire?), no longer having a sense of smell is a real obstacle. In Nice, doctors have implemented an olfactory rehabilitation protocol in which an ENT specialist, a speech therapist and a psychiatrist work together to help affected patients regain their sense of smell. “It is important not to delay otherwise the recovery will be prolonged”, warns Claire Vanderstein, ENT, a doctor at the University Institute of Face and Neck in Nice, near good morning.

After prolonged covid and anosmia (complete loss of smell) that persist, rehabilitation alone without medical assistance will often not be sufficient. “What is unique about this postviral disease is that we find an attack on the central nervous system that disrupts the perception of smell”, underlines Dr. Vanderstein. Hence the importance of this multidisciplinary approach to being able to not only smell odors, but to recognize them again.

a psychological effect much heavier than it seems

Psychologically, it can be very difficult not to feel anything. If only at the food level smell would go hand in hand with taste. or walking along the […] read more