UEA News Release: Third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss

A new study from the University of East Anglia has revealed that ‘a third of long Covid patients suffer persistent smell loss, with almost a fifth experiencing loss of taste’.

From the results, Prof Carl Philpott said:

“We found that almost three percent of the participants self-identified as having long Covid, and if we scale this up to reflect the UK population, it would equate to around 1.8 million people.”

“We found that fatigue was the most common symptom, whilst ENT-related symptoms included a loss of smell and taste, vertigo, shortness of breath, wheezing and a sore throat.”

“Almost a third of self-reported long Covid patients were suffering persistent smell loss, and almost a fifth were still experiencing loss of taste.”

“This is really significant because we know that loss of smell and taste really impacts people’s lives. Our previous research has shown that people who have lost their sense of smell also report high rates of depression, anxiety, isolation and relationship difficulties.”

“It can disrupt almost every aspect of life – from everyday concerns about personal hygiene to a loss of sexual intimacy and the break-down of personal relationships”

You can read the full press release on the UEA website.