"Arrr, mateys! Ye heard o' this newfangled rumour 'bout long COVID? Fear not, we'll hoist the sails and find a way to steer clear of it!"
2023-06-23
Avast ye hearties, as we sail out of this cursed pandemic, many a scurvy dog be left with scars that'll haunt 'em for years to come. We must raise a glass to those who've fought bravely and remember to keep our distance from these landlubbers.
Arr me hearties, COVID may be behind us, but it still lingers like a scurvy dog, with long-lasting impacts on many of us. Before we had multiple vaccinations and anti-viral drugs like Paxlovid, COVID left many with long-lasting symptoms like the amorphous multi-organ inflammation known as long COVID. And now, a new study shows that over 60% of people who developed COVID in 2021 lost their sense of smell or taste, with a significant minority still experiencing partial loss for months afterwards.The reason for this lies in the olfactory lobe of the brain, which is damaged by the SARS COV 2 virus when it invades the nasal passages, leading to debris and inflammatory chemicals. This leads to a disrupted sense of smell that can take months to recover, and in rare cases, can lead to permanent loss. Unfortunately, losing your sense of smell can be dangerous, as it also warns us of noxious smells like gas and smoke.
But it’s not just smell that’s affected; the rest of the brain can be impacted too, leading to brain fog and worsening of underlying neurological conditions. Effective treatments for most patients aren’t available yet, but treating inflammation and the body's own healing is key to recovery.
Why does COVID lead to such a strong immune system reaction? No one knows all the answers yet, but evidence ties it to the fact that it was a new pathogen we had never seen before. So even as we exit the pandemic, many scars remain that will affect millions for years to come. Aye, mateys, COVID may be gone, but its impact remains.