Why COVID19 makes you lose your sense of smell?

[Satwika]

Hi, I am 34 years old woman. I got COVID 19 and was hospitalized for 16 days. I had no sense of smell. I would like to understand why Covid 19 makes you lose your sense of smell? It sounds very small problem, but it is a strange thing. Once someone experiences this then only that person is able to get the feeling. Please comment.

[Vatan]

@satwika Loss of smell is a strange and distinct feature of COVID-19, so much so that it is considered a better predictor of whether someone has been infected than other common symptoms, such as fever or coughing. Studies suggest that up to half of infected people temporarily lose their ability to perceive smells, although this may be as high as 67% in those with mild to moderate infections – possibly because they tend to be younger, and may be more sensitive to altered olfactory perception.
The good news is that various studies have suggested that for people whose olfactory perception has been damaged after a viral infection, repeated short-term exposure to smells can help them to recover. Smell loss charities recommend picking four scents that you enjoy or have a connection with, and actively sniffing them twice a day, spending around 20 seconds on each scent. Ideally, you should try and pick scents which represent the four categories of flowery, fruity, spicy and resinous – and you could either use essential oils or the actual substance they derive from.