Doctor Commented On The Appearance Of Olfactory Illusions In COVID-19

2024 Author: | . Last modified: 2024-01-10 03:12

Loss of smell is still considered to be one of the most striking and frequent symptoms of coronavirus. At the same time, there is no habitual runny nose, the nose breathes well, but more and more often in social networks, people complain about the appearance of atypical odors: someone feels the constant aroma of sulfur, ammonia or tobacco smoke, someone - vinegar and acetone. We figure out why the sick have olfactory illusions and whether it is worth panicking because of them. "The bread smelled like vinegar" In October, Dmitry's family fell ill: weakness, aches and high fever appeared. The guesses have confirmed the test results for COVID-19. The loss of smell, traditional for coronavirus, manifested itself only in mom. The young man himself and his father did not lose their smells, and on the third day, olfactory hallucinations appeared. “My father came up to me with suspicions that the bread was somehow spoiled, that something was wrong with him, that there was a very strange smell. I smelled the bread and felt that it smelled somehow differently, that- then between vinegar and acetone. Within two days, everything began to smell differently. Dad also had such strange odors, "Dmitry explained in a conversation with Moscow 24. After a few days, according to the young man, everything returned to normal. “But if you take a deep breath, then there were notes of this aroma, while the nose did not heal with anything. The normal sense of smell returned to my father faster,” added Dmitry. Users of social networks also talk about a whole palette of aromas. "I have a persistent, persistent smell of sulfur. A month has passed, but I do not feel any smells or taste. I feel like I am haunted by the smell of some nasty stuff like ammonia and formalin," one woman wrote. Others complain that they are haunted by the smell of a burnt dinosaur, someone after illness often feels tobacco smoke anywhere. Where did the smell come from, which does not exist? Otolaryngologist Alexei Koshelev, in a conversation with Moscow 24, suggested that the causes of odor inversion may be similar to the reasons for the loss of smell. "I mean that swelling in the nasal cavity and blockage of receptors located in the upper half of the nose are the reasons for a decrease in the sense of smell, possible damage to the receptors themselves, the nervous tissue itself," the expert said. At the same time, Koshelev explained why some people lose their sense of smell with coronavirus, while others do not. According to the specialist, it depends on the anatomy of the nasal cavity and the presence of chronic diseases. "One person swells faster, because he just has a narrower nasal cavity, somewhere a septum is curved, then a slight edema immediately causes a block of the receptors themselves as such. It is also important that a person has at the time of illness: genes, chronic things that affect, for example, sinusitis, polyps. Proceeding from this, such a difference is formed, "the doctor said. In turn, otolaryngologist of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences Vladimir Zaitsev, in an interview with Moscow 24, said that there is no need to panic because of the distortion of odors. Also, the specialist did not recommend trying to restore the sense of smell through training. "The mechanism of origin of this whole story is inflammation of the olfactory zone, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the upper nasal cavity, and at the moment of inflammation, on the contrary, peace is needed," the interlocutor of Moscow explained 24. The doctor suggested replacing the aggressive effects on the inflamed nasal mucosa with the use of moisturizing drugs. which should be appointed exclusively by a specialist. In addition, he recommended that recovered patients see a doctor."If after a person has had a coronavirus, he feels satisfactory, but nevertheless observes an inversion of smell or its absence, then this is already a reason to consult an ENT doctor. then they will prescribe treatment, therapy, procedures, "Zaitsev explained. This, according to the expert, is important because coronavirus infection can affect the triggering of chronic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis and other diseases.