5 ms·

A friend of mine lost his sense of smell some years ago from the flu

• snazz 6y ago
  Are there any published statistics on how common that is? I wonder what it inflames or irritates that can't come back after the body recovers from the virus.
  • zelphirkalt 6y ago
    That's also what I am wondering about. Could it also have a psychological component? (Not making it any less terrifying.)
    • ImaCake 6y ago
      Not sure why you are being downvoted. Negative placebo effect is real and anosmia (smell blindness) has been making headlines with the 'rona. To answer the original question: "Postviral olfactory disorders usually occur after an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) associated with a common cold or influenza. With a prevalence between 11 and 40% they are among the common causes of olfactory disorders." From here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16733337/?from_term=anosmia+influenza&from_pos=3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16733337/?from_term=anosmia+...