Struggling with post-Covid hair fall? Here are some measures to set things right

According to a new study women are less likely to recover their sense of smell and taste after Covid-19 compared to men.

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) spoke to a patient who talked about their abrupt loss of smell and taste, after contracting Covid.

Besides women, patients with greater initial severity of smell loss and those with nasal congestion were also less likely to recover their sense of smell.

The research, published by The BMJ, showed that smell and taste loss are common complaints among patients with Covid, with an estimated 50% of patients reporting these symptoms.

This is thought to occur due to conductive barriers and nerve damage from the extensive inflammation in Covid infection, explained the researchers.

While most patients are expected to recover their sense of smell or taste within the first three months, "a major group of patients might develop long lasting dysfunction that requires timely identification, personalised treatment, and long term follow-up".

For the study an international research team trawled databases for studies of adults with Covid related changes to smell or taste and studies that described factors associated with these changes and time needed for recovery.

They found that smell loss may persist among 5.6 per cent of the patients, while 4.4 per cent may not recover their sense of taste.

At least 30 days after initial infection, only 74 per cent of patients reported smell recovery and 79 per cent of patients reported taste recovery.