Archive · 26 Sep 2025
Study Links COVID-19 to Lingering Smell Loss
Imagine your nose helps you smell yummy food or fresh air.
Some people who had COVID-19 might find their noses don't work as well even long after they felt better.
A new study looked at lots of people and found that many still had trouble smelling things two years later.
The scientists used a special test to check how well people could smell different scents.
They found that even people who didn't think they had a problem could have trouble.
This means COVID-19 might have a hidden impact on how we smell, and doctors should check for this.
Scientists are now looking at ways to help people get their sense of smell back.
Study suggests smell loss can linger for years after COVID-19 infection.
80% of participants with reported smell changes scored low on a smell test.
23% of the group had severe smell impairment or complete loss.
66% of infected participants without noticeable issues scored low.
Study involved 3,535 participants, making it the largest of its kind.
- Who
- Researchers at US National Institutes of Health and NYU Langone Health
- What
- A study examining long-term smell loss after COVID-19
- When
- Approximately two years after the initial COVID-19 infection
- Where
- Published in the journal JAMA Network Open
- Why
- To explore the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the sense of smell.
- Study Participants
- 3,535 men and women
- Main Finding
- Loss of smell may persist for years after COVID-19
- Test Used
- 40-odour scent-detection test
- Percentage with Impaired Smell (Reported)
- 80%
- Severe Smell Loss (Reported)
- 23%
- Uninfected with Weak Smell
- 60%
