Could your genetics have something to do with whether you lose your taste or smell after a COVID-19 infection?
A study just published in Nature Genetics suggests the answer is yes.
Researchers say they identified a genetic risk factor associated with the loss of smell after a COVID-19 infection.
The genetic risk factor increases the likelihood a person infected with SARS-CoV-2 will experience a loss of smell or taste by 11%, according to NBC News.
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Qualitative olfactory (smell) dysfunctions are a common side effect of post-viral illness and evidence has emerged that taste and smell loss are common symptoms of COVID-19 and persist long after initial infection.
"The timeframe in which it lasts varies broadly. I've had patients that maybe just lose taste and smell for a day or two, some, maybe about two weeks. I've had one patient that told me that he had COVID a year ago and still hasn't regained his sense of taste and smell," said internal medicine physician Dr. Phuong Tran.
He adds that most regain their senses though it may take longer than others.
