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1 out of 3 people with COVID-19 had loss of taste or smell 12 weeks later

This study was published in the journal, Frontiers in Medicine.

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By Alice Clifford via SWNS

Up to one in three people who had COVID-19 are still experiencing a loss of taste or smell 12 weeks after contracting the virus, reveals a new study.

Among the 4,702 people studied, 31.2 percent reported suffering from a reduced sense of taste at least 12 weeks after being infected.

Similarly, 29.9 percent reported their sense of smell was still lower than normal after 12 weeks.

Worse still, the study revealed that 12.2 percent had a total loss of smell and 11.7 percent lost their taste completely.

“Persistent changes in taste and smell have manifested as symptoms of long COVID," said Professor Shahina Pardhan, director of the Vision and Eye Research Institute in Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and lead author.

"These are generally associated with decreases in quality of life, so it is vital that we understand these changes in patients’ smell and taste to help medical professionals advise or manage patients appropriately."

According to the Office of National Statistics, as of July 31, around two million people in the UK were believed to be suffering from long COVID.

Along with this, some people reported having tinnitus, blurred vision or dry eyes.

“Our results also show an elevated prevalence of persistent blurred vision and hearing-related symptoms after three months," Pardhan said.

"Future research is required to understand why this is the case and so that healthcare providers can provide the right kind of care for people suffering from various sensory losses due to COVID-19."

"Knowing the prevalence of changes in sensory symptoms post-COVID is essential to aiding our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, especially as our understanding of long COVID is in its infancy," said Dr. Mike Trott, a visiting fellow at Anglia Ruskin University, and lead author.

Long COVID affects around 14 percent of people who test positive for COVID-19.

This study was published in the journal, Frontiers in Medicine.

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