The sudden increase in Covid-19 cases across many nations has stoked fears of pandemic once again. Authorities have begun taking the necessary action in light of the alarming situation. It is advised that people wear masks when in crowded areas, follow COVID-19 restrictions, and be alert for symptoms. Loss of smell is one of the signs of Covid-19 infection.
Scientists have learned more about the cause of the loss of smell in a recent study. According to Duke University researchers, a recurring immune attack on olfactory nerve cells is the cause of why some long Covid patients fail to regain their sense of smell. Our capacity to distinguish between scents and smells is influenced by olfactory nerve cells.
Researchers examined nasal tissue from Covid patients who had issues with their sense of smell and found immune cells that cause inflammation inside the sensitive nasal lining that may be washing out essential sensory nerve cells. Nine patients with long-term smell loss due to the Covid-19 infection were included in the study by Goldstein and colleagues from Duke, Harvard, and the University of California-San Diego.
They also examined olfactory epithelial data taken from 24 biopsies. The olfactory epithelium, the tissue in the nose where smell nerve cells are located, was found to have a prevalent infiltration of T-cells involved in an inflammatory response by this biopsy-based strategy. The study concluded that given the absence of noticable SARS-CoV-2 levels, this particular inflammatory process remained.
The study found that there were fewer olfactory sensory neurons as well, possibly as a result of ongoing inflammation damaging the sensitive tissue. According to Goldstein, identifying the damaged sites and the cell types involved is a crucial first step in developing treatments. He claimed that the fact that neurons seemed to be able to repair themselves even after the lengthy immune attack gave the researchers hope.
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The study’s findings, which were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, offer crucial new understanding of a frustrating issue that has plagued millions of people who have not completely healed their sense of smell after Covid-19.
The findings shed light on the potential underlying causes of other long Covid-19 symptoms, such as generalised fatigue, breathlessness, and brain fog, that might be brought on by similar biological processes in addition to the loss of smell. According to Goldstein, further research into other long-Covid-19 symptoms that may be undergoing comparable inflammatory processes may benefit from this study’s findings.
