The taste of food has changed after the coronavirus and when it will return

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

COVID-19 usually presents with symptoms such as a sore throat, cough, or pneumonia (in more serious cases). Also, many experience sudden changes in smell and taste, in particular, a decrease or loss of both senses. Those who have gone through this wonder why their food tastes changed after the coronavirus and when this feeling will return.

The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and taste

COVID-19 infection is a new pathology that we learn about every day. Data received, in particular from China, South Korea and Italy, indicated the incidence of anosmia in 30-60% of the number of victims.

Most tastes are perceived through the nose, not through the tongue. Flavors spread in the mouth and provide a mixed sensation of taste and smell. Thus, the loss of taste is a natural consequence of the loss of odor.

Epidemiological studies of olfactory loss are complicated by the presence of respiratory symptoms with rhinitis, cough, and mucosal irritation. They make it difficult to establish a direct connection between COVID-19 and the human olfactory system. Accordingly, timely detection and treatment of taste problems also becomes problematic.

Taste changes are much more common in women than in men, and patients with these symptoms are, on average, younger.

New research

The olfactory pathway is known to be the gateway for various respiratory viruses to the central nervous system, such as herpes viruses 1 and 6, rabies and influenza viruses. Early research has shown that the olfactory system may represent the preferred route of access to our bodies for COVID-19. The olfactory epithelium, in fact, also contains the endings of the trigeminal nerve, through which the virus can access the brain.

SARS-CoV-2 is a cytotoxic virus, that is, when it enters a cell, it tends to destroy it.

Scientists continue to conduct research to identify patients in whom this mechanism may have taken place. The following scenarios are contemplated to shed light on the causes of taste bud problems:

1. In some people, the virus can infect the olfactory system and reach the olfactory cortex. Subsequently, areas responsible for the ability to recognize taste are also inhibited. This is why anosmia and dysfunction of taste buds are commonly associated with coronavirus.
2. In other subjects, the virus may have infected the lungs by direct action of droplets inhaled into the air, or through a mechanism in which viral particles travel down from the nasopharyngeal mucosa to the lungs.
3. Finally, in a small number of patients, the virus can affect most of the brain because it reaches it through the bloodstream.

Some preliminary data may indicate a sex and age difference in the loss of taste caused by SARS-CoV-2. This phenomenon predominantly affects women, who usually have more benign forms of respiratory infection, as well as young men.

The most appropriate treatment approach should always take into account the individual indications established by the doctor, formulated depending on the degree of manifestation of problems with taste perception and the clinical picture in general.

Lifestyle & Tips

What if this problem affects you? Lifestyle changes can be made to improve taste perception. In particular, quitting smoking and maintaining good oral hygiene can help reduce the appearance of taste problems.

Drinks and foods that are high in sugar, preservatives and spices can leave a lingering aftertaste in the mouth, so they are advised to be avoided. In addition, it can be helpful to eat foods that are made with few ingredients so that the flavors do not mix and it is not so difficult for the receptors to "learn" to identify them in a new way.

In some patients, taste problems may persist for a long time. How long this symptom will last in an individual patient is still unknown.

You can also inhale the smells of coffee and other strong sources to stimulate your taste buds through the smells. So it can turn out to establish a connection that functioned normally before the illness.

Interesting! Is it necessary to bring down the temperature in case of coronavirus

What drugs to use

Medicines are usually recommended when the restoration of taste sensations is delayed for a long time. These can be drugs aimed at the regeneration of peripheral nerves. In most cases, we are talking about vitamins, agents aimed at normalizing microcirculation, as well as anticholinesterase drugs.

Outcomes

1. Early diagnosis of disturbances in taste is problematic because it usually follows immediately after anosmia, the loss of the ability to smell. It, in turn, cannot be detected immediately due to the accompanying respiratory symptoms, such as a runny nose and congestion in coronavirus.
2. If such symptoms appear, you can consult an otolaryngologist or neurologist.
3. Medicines are prescribed only in cases of prolonged restoration of taste. Some experts recommend stimulating the sense of taste through the smells of your favorite products, including coffee, spices, and perfume smells can also be effective.