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A new project will investigate whether Vitamin A could help people regain their sense of smell after viral infections, including Covid-19.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and James Paget University Hospital hope the study, which has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), could one-day help improve the lives of millions around the world who suffer from smell loss.
Smell loss is a common symptom of Covid-19, but even before Covid, many viruses had been causing smell loss and distortion and while most people naturally regain their sense of smell within a couple of weeks, many have been left with on-going smell disorders.
Previous research from Germany has shown the potential benefit of Vitamin-A, and the UEA team will explore how this treatment works to help repair tissues in the nose damaged by viruses.
The research team will work with patients who have lost their sense of smell due to a viral infection. They will either receive a 12-week course of nasal vitamin A drops or inactive equivalent drops, and have their brains scanned before and after the treatment. The scans will be compared to those of a control group who have not been treated with vitamin A drops.
Huge rise in smell loss caused by Covid-19
Smell loss expert Prof Carl Philpott from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and James Paget University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The huge rise in smell loss caused by Covid-19 has created an unprecedented worldwide demand for treatment. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, smell loss was thought to affect an estimated five per cent of people, with viruses accounting for 1 in 10 of those.
“And around one in ten people who experience smell loss as a result of Covid-19 report that their sense of smell has not returned to normal four weeks after falling ill. It’s a big problem, and our previous research has shown the impact of smell loss – including depression, anxiety and isolation, as well as risk of danger from hazards such as gas and spoiled food, and changes in weight due to reduced appetite.”
He added that they want to find out whether there is an increase in the size and activity of damaged smell pathways in patients’ brains when they are treated with vitamin A nasal drops. “The patients will be smelling distinctive odours – roses and rotten eggs – while special MRI brain scans are taken, ” he said.
“We will look for changes in the size of the olfactory bulb – an area above the nose where the smell nerves join together and connect to the brain. We will also look at activity in areas of the brain linked to recognising smells.”
To take part in this trial, patients need to be referred to The Smell and Taste Clinic at the James Paget University Hospital by their GP. Recruitment is expected to begin in December 2021.
To find out more visit https://rhinology-group.uea.ac.uk/apollo-trial or contact [email protected].