Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Scientists: Smelling, Tasting Loss From COVID-19 Is Temporary

VOA News

   One of the most frustrating symptoms ofCOVID-19 coronavirus is the loss
   ofthe sense ofsmell andscientistsnow say theythinktheyunderstandwhy it
   happens.

   The experts writing in the journalScience Advancessaidthe coronavirus
   infiltrates the cells that provide major structuralsupporttosensory
   neurons-- the neurons that detectodorsand send those messages to the
   brain.

   Sincethesenseof smell is linked to the sense of taste,
   thecoronavirusalso affects the ability to taste food.

   Harvard Medical School researchers said 90% of recovering COVID-19
   patientswho lost theirsense of smell and tasteregained it.

   "Once theinfectionclears,olfactoryneurons don't appear to need to be
   replaced or rebuilt from scratch,"neurobiologyprofessor Dr. Sandeep
   Robert Datta writes in theScience Advancesstudy."But we need more data
   and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms to confirm this
   conclusion."

   Inseparatestudies, scientists are stilltrying toconcludewhether it is
   possible to get COVID-19 twice.

   They say theparticularcoronavirusthatcauses COVID-19 is new and much is
   stillunknown.

.