Besides respiratory failure and death, one of the most publicized effects of COVID infection has been the loss of smell experienced by so many. As one of the earlier symptoms, many have gotten nervous when their smell is off momentarily. For those who have experienced this frustrating symptom in reality, it sometimes takes weeks to return to normal. The mystery of this anosmia (loss of smell) has drawn attention for its potential as an early warning signal and just for the sheer intrigue of why it happens.
Harvard Medical School researches reported that the actual nerve cells for smell do not express the ACE2 receptor which SARS-CoV-2 uses to enter our cells. On the other hand, the supporting cells for these smell nerves do express the ACE2 and are damaged during the infection.
This is good news as nerve cells might require months to recover if they ever do. On the other hand, this makes sense for the post-COVID patients who recover smell in several weeks after recovery. If the actual nerves were damaged, it make take months to recover smell if ever. It is also a potential clue according to the researchers in how the virus might cause neurologic complications in other patients.
As the drama unfolds, functional MD’s like myself eagerly soak up the near daily discoveries which aim at restoring healthier more abundant lives to both post-COVID patients and possibly other viral illness affected patients. These are challenging times, but I am praying that we can rise to the challenge for the sake of our patients who are suffering from this and other viruses.
Original Article:
David H. Brann, Tatsuya Tsukahara, Caleb Weinreb, Marcela Lipovsek, Koen Van den Berge, Boying Gong, Rebecca Chance, Iain C. Macaulay, Hsin-Jung Chou, Russell B. Fletcher, Diya Das, Kelly Street, Hector Roux de Bezieux, Yoon-Gi Choi, Davide Risso, Sandrine Dudoit, Elizabeth Purdom, Jonathan Mill, Ralph Abi Hachem, Hiroaki Matsunami, Darren W. Logan, Bradley J. Goldstein, Matthew S. Grubb, John Ngai, Sandeep Robert Datta. Non-neuronal expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry genes in the olfactory system suggests mechanisms underlying COVID-19-associated anosmia. Science Advances, July 24, 2020; DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc5801
Thanks to Science Daily
Harvard Medical School. “How COVID-19 causes smell loss: Olfactory support cells, not neurons, are vulnerable to novel coronavirus infection.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200724141027.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
