Try 'smell training' while recovering from Covid-19: New study

London - The research against the use of corticosteroids is contrary to conventional prescription to regain smell.

Instead of using drugs such as corticosteroids to regain the sense of smell while recovering from Covid-19, a new study by an international team of researchers suggests a period of ‘smell training’ as a free and simple way to retrain the brain to recognise smells.

Losing the sense of smell and taste is recognised as one of the key symptoms of Covid-19, with many losing smell on a long-term basis. Usually, corticosteroids are prescribed to help regain smell, but the study published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology does not recommend using them.

Instead, the researchers recommend ‘smell training’, which involves sniffing at least four different odours twice a day for several months.

Smell loss expert Carl Philpott from the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Norwich Medical School notes that the rise in smell loss caused by Covid-19 has created an unprecedented worldwide demand for treatment.

Around one in five people who experience smell loss as a result of Covid-19 report that their sense of smell has not returned to normal eight weeks after falling ill.

He said: “Corticosteroids are a class of drug that lowers inflammation in the body. Doctors often prescribe them to help treat conditions such as asthma, and they have been considered as a therapeutic option for smell loss caused by Covid-19”.

“But they have well-known potential side effects including fluid retention, high blood pressure, and problems with mood swings and behaviour,” he added.

The team carried out a systematic evidence-based review to see whether corticosteroids could help people regain their sense of smell.