How to get your sense of smell back after COVID-19

Loss of smell and taste is a very common early sign of a COVID-19 infection. Smell can return or improve from within a few weeks of the virus clearing the body, but it may take months to improve. COVID-19 typically produces a range of flu-like symptoms, including a cough and fatigue, but it can also cause foods to taste different – even strange – causing an unusual sense of smell; i.e., things not smelling normal, foods tasting foul as well as a complete or partial loss of taste and smell.

A recent analysis published by Tong et. Al in May 5 2020 in the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery White Journal showed that 53% of people with COVID-19 reported problems with smell and taste. In the absence of other chronic nasal problems or allergies this common symptom may be from COVID-19.

To try and improve your sense of smell after COVID-19 the following suggestions may help:

• Nasal steroids such as Flonase®, which is over-the-counter, may help reduce inflammation in the nose.
• Practicing to smell things such as oranges, perfumes, oils and coffee etc. may help to stimulate new neural pathways to develop to hasten recovery from loss of smell.
• Oral steroids may help
• Patelet rich plasma, which is put inside the nose, may help to regenerate nerve cells
• Time

Most of the time this loss of smell is temporary, at 2 months Lechien et al in the Journal of Internal Medicine 11/2020 reported in a multi-center study that nearly 80% of patients had regained smell and taste and 95% regained by 6 months, so time is on your side.