Parosmia and phantosmia are classified as smell disorders. Among the complications of COVID-19, the most frequently mentioned are: deterioration of exercise tolerance, a sense of fatigue or the so-called brain fog. However, more and more patients who have already been infected with the coronavirus, complain of experiencing unpleasant odors that other people around them … do not. Such problems may arise from parosmia or phantasm. What are the causes of these complications after COVID-19? Can they be cured?

Initially, theloss of sense of smell, i.e. anosmia , was mentioned as one of the main symptoms of coronavirus infection. In the first period of the pandemic, the loss of the ability to perceive odors was considered one of the indications for a coronavirus test. Increasingly, however, patients who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus begin to complain of a different type of olfactory disorder.

Familiar products start to smell different than before. In addition, it happens that patients experience extremely unpleasant odors that, apart from them, no other person can really smell. The cause of these ailments may beparosmia or phantomiadeveloping as a result of falling ill with COVID-19.

Parosmia and fantosmia after COVID-19: what are these problems?

Both parosmia and phantosmia are classified as olfactory disorders.Parosmiais based on the fact that the patient feels the existing smells, but they smell much different to him than in reality.

A separate problem isfantosmia , in which a person feels different smells despite the fact that in his surroundings nothing smells that way. Sometimes this type of phenomenon is referred to asolfactory hallucinations .

Parosmia and fantosmia after COVID-19: reasons

Various pathologies associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are actually just being discovered. However, some information about the olfactory disorder that develops as a result of COVID-19 is now available.

It is already known that the coronavirus has the ability to penetrate the structures of the central nervous system through the olfactory bulb. This can lead to various injuries of the olfactory tract.

The damage itself, however, is not necessarily the cause of phantasm or parosmia. According to some researchers, these problems are developingwhen the structures responsible for the perception of smells begin to regenerate and during this period they may not be fully able to correctly identify the smell stimuli.

Parosmia and phantosmia after COVID-19: symptoms

Symptoms of parosmia

Parosmia leads to a distorted perception of smell sensations, e.g.

  • coffee smells like washing powder,
  • there is rot instead of flowers,
  • the smell of chocolate feels like a burning smell.

It is possible, however, not only that pleasant smells will be perceived differently. Sometimes the opposite is true and the smell of exhaust fumes is perceived by a person with parosmia as a very pleasant smell.

Phantosmia symptoms

In the case of phantosmia, patients can smell smells when no other people around them can smell them.

These smells are different, but usually they are unpleasant, e.g. a patient with a phantasm feels cigarette smoke in a home where nobody smokes. It may also feel that there is an odor of burning material or furniture.

Parosmia and phantosmia after COVID-19: aftermath

The quality of life of people with parosmia or phantosmia after having COVID-19 may deteriorate significantly. For example, patients with parosmia can lose a lot of weight in a short time.

This may happen when the smell of meals is very unpleasant for them, e.g. because they constantly perceive the smell of rot. This may result in a loss of appetite.

Daily functioning can also be disrupted due to phantosmia. People affected by this disorder may feel anxious or even severely anxious. The smell of burning can arouse fear of a fire and fear for your own safety and that of others.

Parosmia and fantosmia after COVID-19: treatment

Thanks to the ability of the olfactory cells to regenerate in the vast majority of people, the smell disorders disappear completely on their own over time. However, improvement may occur after a few, and sometimes even several months after the onset of an olfactory disorder. However, there are methods by which it is possible to shorten the duration of parosmia and phantosmia.

Patients are recommended olfactory exercises. They consist in repeated smelling of various smells, e.g. essential oils, which is to allow regenerating olfactory cells to regain the ability to correctly identify smell stimuli faster.

Smell training should be combined with imagining, for example, plants from which the aromas were obtained.

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COVID 19