Why do many people lose their sense of smell when contracting coronavirus?

Specific gene combinations may be associated with a higher risk of olfactory loss during COVID-19. Researchers at a medical-genetic center have come to this conclusion.

According to Izvestia, in a study by American geneticists published in Nature Genetics scientific magazine, researchers have linked changes in the loci of the UGT2A1 and UGT2A2 genes to the activity of nasal olfactory epithelial cells.

According to Alexander Rakitko, product director at Genotek medical genetic center, the risk of losing the ability to recognize smell increases by 11% in people with similar gene combinations.

According to experts, this anosmia is only one of the possible symptoms of coronavirus, but it is not manifested in everyone.

The receptors of most people who recover from COVID-19 are restored within 2-4 weeks.

Many of them develop parosmia: a distorted perception of taste and smell.