Man, That Stinks

 

In the after math of COVID, many people have been left with either no sense of smell, or a very distorted sense. Having a distorted sense of smell (called parosmia) is most common after a virus, so it makes sense why COVID has caused such a surge. This distorted smell makes scents you know well actually smell different. Unfortunately for some, their favorite smells will become repulsive. Imagine your favorite food smelling rancid all the time – bummer!

Here’s why:

There are smell receptors in your nose that detect different scents and send signals to your brain, which determines if you find that smell pleasant or not. Certain viruses can cause damage to those cells and change the signal. It is also possible that people who suffer traumatic brain injuries can receive damage to the part of the brain that receives these smells (called the olfactory bulb), which can also cause parosmia. This is much less likely, however.  

If you have had COVID (or any virus) that has altered your sense of smell, my first recommendation is to try to rehabilitate your smell. (I wrote about how to do that here.) If you find that your sense of smell is not coming back or has been altered for an extended period of time, you can always make an appointment to see me at (817) 261-3000.

 

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Teach & Learn, NoseErin Shellenbergernose, smell, parosmia, stink