Anosmia is a medical term for the loss of smell. Over a million Americans have lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. Up to 1.6 million Americans have experienced a loss of smell for more than six months with little chance of recovery. Loss of smell may be even be more common among mild cases of COVID-19. Often, this loss of smell is accompanied by a loss of taste, the two senses being closely dependent on each other.
Studies have estimated that anywhere from 30% to 80% of COVID-19 sufferers can develop some level of anosmia. Upwards of 90% regain their sense of smell again in as little as two weeks. With so many people in the U.S. infected by the virus, even a relatively rare complication like long-term anosmia can still affect plenty of people.
The study, published Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, seems to be one of the first to try gauging the toll of chronic COVID-related anosmia in the U.S. The authors were compelled to study the issue after seeing many of these patients in their clinics. Somewhere between 700,000 to 1.6 million Americans (as of August 2021) have experienced a loss or change in their sense of smell lasting more than six months as a result of COVID-19 so far, they found.
There are treatments that are thought to improve a person’s chances of recovering from anosmia, such as smell training, and there are clinical trials ongoing now that are testing out experimental treatments. But for those unlucky enough to still have trouble smelling things months down the road, the odds of recovery are slim.