Loss of smell is a warning sign of Alzheimer’s. What if you lose your sense of smell from Covid?
Can Covid-related loss of smell lead to cognitive decline or increase your risk for Alzheimer's? Sense of smell is a warning sign for dementia but more research is needed.
One of the stranger symptoms of Covid — the loss of the sense of smell — is a symptom that, well before the pandemic, was considered to be a warning sign for dementia.
The big question for researchers now is whether Covid-related loss of smell might also be associated with cognitive decline. Around 5 percent of Covid patients worldwide — some 27 million people — have reported loss of smell lasting more than six months.
New preliminary findings presented Sunday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in San Diego suggest there may be a link, though experts caution that more research is needed.
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Previous research has found that some Covid patients go on to develop cognitive impairment after their infection. In the new study — which has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal — researchers in Argentina found that loss of smell during Covid may be a stronger predictor of cognitive decline, regardless of severity of disease.
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