A team of scientists has advised against using steroids to treat the prolonged loss of smell caused by covid-19. Instead, it suggests that patients “retrain” their noses to sniff out certain odors.
Recently, a group of scientists showed that corticosteroids – a class of drug that reduces inflammation in the body – are not recommended to treat the loss of smell, a prominent symptom of covid-19.
Instead, the team recommends “smell training,” that is, a process that involves smelling at least four different odors twice a day for several months.
According to Science Alert, corticosteroids, often prescribed for people with a congested or inflamed nose, should not be the first treatment option for loss of smell following infection with the new coronavirus.
The team involved in the study recommends olfaction training and emphasizes that this technique, in addition to having no known side effects, is low cost. In addition, “it is the only available treatment supported by a robust evidence base,” the researchers maintain.
The group conducted an evidence-based systematic review to ascertain whether corticosteroids could help those infected regain their sense of smell. Carl Philpott, from the University of East Anglia in the UK, explained that the team found that “there is very little evidence that corticosteroids help with the loss of smell.”
Because these drugs “have adverse side effects, our advice is not to prescribe them as a treatment for post-viral loss of smell.”
“Fortunately, most people who lose their sense of smell as a result of covid-19 infection recover it spontaneously. Research shows that 90% will have fully recovered their sense of smell after six months,” the researcher said.
“But we know that olfaction training can be helpful. The technique involves smelling at least four different odors twice a day, every day for several months. It has emerged as an inexpensive, simple, and side-effect-free treatment option for several causes of olfaction loss, including covid-19″, he added.
The goal of smell training is to aid recovery based on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganize itself to compensate for a change or injury.
