Recovery of smell, taste after COVID-19 may take 6 months

Editor's Note

This meta-analysis led by researchers at the National University of Singapore finds that recovery of the ability to taste and smell after COVID-19 infection may take up to 6 months, and women are more likely to experience loss of these senses and have a longer time to recovery. The meta-analysis included 18 studies involving 3,699 patients.

The researchers found that:

• Smell loss may persist in 5.6% of patients, and 4.4% may not recover their sense of taste.
• At 30 days after infection, 74.1% of patients reported smell recovery, and 78.8% reported taste recovery.
• Recovery rates peaked at 96% for smell and 98% for taste after 6 months.
• Women were less likely to recover their sense of smell and taste than men.
• Patients with greater severity of smell loss and nasal congestion were less likely to recover their sense of smell.

The researchers estimate that at least 27 million COVID-19 patients may have long term smell and taste problems, and this could contribute to the growing burden of Long COVID. Healthcare leaders, policy makers, and research funders should realize the importance of good chemosensory function, allocate resources to research, and sustain specialists faced with an exceptional number of patients with smell and taste dysfunction, they say.