Researchers warn: Lost sense of smell can become a new public disease

According to the researchers, a lost sense of smell can affect health and shorten life.

Today, between 300,000 and 400,000 people in the country have suffered from odor loss after covid-19.

- Since there are many who have been affected and we know that it causes serious long-term health problems, it can be a new public disease.

I think we will see side effects such as obesity and depression, says Johan Lundström.

The sense of smell unexplored

According to Johan Lundström, smell and taste are still a bit of a mystery.

In a newly started research project together with the new smell and taste clinic at Karolinska Hospital in Huddinge, more answers are hoped for.

- When we get such a large influx of new patients, it benefits the research that helps us develop new methods to treat odor impairments, he says.

Odor loss also occurs in other diseases such as MS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and depression.