The international group of researchers came to the conclusion that patients who have lost the sense of smell, who have suffered COVID-19 should not use corticosteroid drugs to return the ability to feel odors. The best way specialists call the nose training with the help of at least four strong smells twice a day. This is reported by the Edition of Science Alert.
Scientists conducted a systematic review of scientific literature and found that corticosteroids, which often prescribe people with sense of smell dysfunction, may not work because they usually help patients with nose or inflammation. However, when infected with coronavirus, the smell loss occurs due to the damage to the nervous system, and previous studies have not demonstrated the effectiveness of such drugs. In addition, the use of corticosteroids is fraught with side effects, and the smell is often returned spontaneously, without medication.
At the same time, the smell can be restored faster if it is training, which is confirmed by the evidence base. Patients usually advise the use of four sources of smells: carnation, rose, lemon and eucalyptus. However, to achieve the best results, the smells should be changed every 12 weeks. You can also use perfume, zest, vanilla or ground coffee.
In early 2021, a study was published with the participation of 1363 patients with olfactory dysfunction due to coronavirus, which showed that 95 percent of patients the sense of smell was recovered six months after recovery.