Topic summary

Olfaction

Extracted from the Wikipedia article Sense of smell.

Disorders

Viruses can also infect the olfactory epithelium leading to a loss of the sense of olfaction. About 50% of patients with SARS-CoV-2 (causing COVID-19) experience some type of disorder associated with their sense of smell, including anosmia and parosmia. SARS-CoV-1, MERS-CoV and even the flu (influenza virus) can also disrupt olfaction.