- Reluctance to eat after COVID-19 infection
- "He just stopped eating"
- Advice for parents of children with parosmia
COVID-19 causes so-called parosmia - a disorder in which they experience strange and often unpleasant odor distortions. For people with parosmia, chocolate may smell like gasoline, and lemon may smell like rotting cabbage. Experts sound the alarm that more and more children are becoming picky eaters and refusing to eat. How to fix it?
Reluctance to eat after COVID-19 infection
Fragrance experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Fifth Sense, a charity for people affected by olfactory and taste disorders, say it can be especially difficult for children to eat foods they once loved.
Professor Carl Philpott of Norwich Medical School said in many cases the condition "discourages children from eating, and many may have difficulty eating altogether".
"Parosmia is believed to be caused by less activity from olfactory receptors, leading to the fact that it is only able to pick up some components of the fragrance blend," Philpott said.
"He just stopped eating"
Chairman and founder of Fifth Sense, Duncan Boak admitted that the charity has heard from some parents whose children suffer from dietary problems and have lost weight that doctors have reduced it to picky eating. He said that for the first time in his career he is seeing teenage patients with parosmia.
11-year-old Malisse Kafi had the coronavirus in September and has since had a hard time eating as everything tastes like "rotten eggs." The food made him vomit and choke, so he stopped eating. He was diagnosed with parosmia and given a nasal spray, but that didn't help. He lost 2 kilograms and was rushed to the hospital in November after dehydration and began to babble. The boy had to be fed with a tube through his nose. Currently, Malisse is still struggling with parosmia but has some safe foods to eat and his condition is starting to improve.
Advice for parents of children with parosmia
Prof Philpott and Fifth Sense provide tips to help parents and he althcare professionals recognize this disorder.
- Parents are advised to keep a diary of food that is safe for their child.
- Parents and he alth professionals should encourage children toTrying a variety of weaker tasting foods, such as pasta, bananas, or mild cheese - to see what they can handle.
- Vanilla or unflavoured protein and vitamin shakes can help babies get the nutrients they need.