About a quarter of Americans who had COVID-19 never fully regained their sense of taste or smell, according to researchers at Mass. Eye and Ear, and patients say it's having a major impact on their quality of life.
Lisa Milne, of Pelham, New Hampshire, was first diagnosed with severe anosmia, or loss of smell, shortly after she contracted COVID-19 in late June of 2022. Almost a year later, she still can't smell or taste anything.
"Every day you wake up hoping that you'll be able to smell the coffee brewing or you'll be able to taste your breakfast," Milne told NBC10 Boston. "It's a little depressing. It's a lot depressing. As a matter of fact, there are times when it's extremely frustrating."
Milne is one of about 28 million people across the country still experiencing these symptoms, according to a new study. Without a way to treat it, experts say the condition can lead to declining mental and physical health.
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Researchers at Mass. Eye and Ear used CDC data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to get a better sense of the number of people dealing with this.
"Our study looks at a household level -- almost basically going door-to-door -- what percent of patients lost their smell and taste. And it's actually much higher than you might expect," said Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, a professor of Otolaryngology at Mass Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School.
"It can lead to a sense of depression and lack of pleasure in terms of eating, weight loss and and for some people you know, it's a real nutritional deficit if they're not eating properly."
The study shows extreme symptoms often lead to more severe sensory loss and a smaller chance for a full recovery. And since smell and taste are connected, many people may have lost some sensory function without realizing it.
"There's unfortunately not a whole lot that can be done," Bhattacharyya said, adding that some data are emerging that smell retraining kits can be "very helpful."
Unfortunately it didn't work for Milne, who said she has "tried just about everything," from nasal sprays and exercise to taking a daily antihistamine.
"I've given up pretty much on everything," Milne said.
But scientists aren't throwing in the towel just yet. Bhattacharyya said researchers are ramping up clinical trials in the hopes of finding a solution for millions of patients. Regardless of the lack of treatment, experts say it's important for patients who are experiencing these symptoms to notify their doctors as soon as possible.
"There probably is some value in treating it sooner rather than later because the longer it's absent, probably the less likely it's going to be easily recovered," Bhattacharyya said.
