Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's become clear that many people with the virus lost their sense of smell and taste.
Head of Infectious Diseases Head of Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Professor Marc Mendelson says Covid-19 complications are similar to other countries.
Currently, Mendelson is working at the clinical interface in infectious diseases which now includes wards with persons under investigation for Covid-19 and confirmed Covid-19 cases.
“Interestingly, we see a number of patients with loss of sense of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia). As this is a rapidly evolving clinical situation, we are learning as we go about the effects of this infection on our South African population.”
It’s been a month since Simphiwe Ndlovu, 22, recovered from Covid-19. In the first three days of testing positive, she had experienced a loss of smell and taste.
“I couldn't smell a thing, food was tasteless, eating was a completely different experience: I just ate because I needed to eat.
“After 10 days, I was glad that I was back to normal and appreciated eating and smelling things again. You only truly become aware of your sense of smell when you lose it,” says Ndlovu.
Almost 90 percent of people who lost their sense of smell or taste while infected with Covid-19 improved or recovered within a month, a study has found.
The study, in Italy, found 49 percent of patients had fully regained their sense of smell or taste and 40 percent reported improvements.
But 10 percent said their symptoms remained the same or had worsened.
The international team of researchers surveyed 187 Italians who had the virus but who were not ill enough to be admitted to hospital.
The individuals were asked to rate their sense of smell or taste soon after they were diagnosed and again a month later.
A total of 113 reported an alteration in their sense of smell and/or taste:
- 55 said they had recovered fully
- 46 reported improvements in their symptoms
- 12 found their symptoms were unchanged or worse
Kenosi Samakata, 30, says while she has fully recovered from the virus, her sense of taste has not been the same since she tested positive for the virus.
"I have food and drinks that taste differently post Covid-19 and sometimes they are tasteless, like eggs, crisp and wine. I've also started using more spice and chillies in my food just to add more flavour. Sometimes, I eat something and it doesn't taste normal and it's not even a familiar taste," says Samakata.
Writing for a paper which was published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surger, Dr Joshua Levy, a specialist at the Emory University School of Medicine, said: "Even with a high rate of resolution, the staggering number affected by this evolving pandemic suggests an almost certain deluge of patients likely to present for the treatment of unresolved symptoms."
He suggests that in long-term cases people could consider therapy used for similar conditions such as smell-training.