Parosmia is a medical term used to describe a condition in which affected individuals experience “distortions of the sense of smell”. Some people may experience parosmia as a symptom of COVID-19.
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A person with parosmia can detect certain odours, but they might experience the smell of certain things as different and often unpleasant. For instance, to someone with parosmia, coffee may smell like burnt toast.
Parosmia is a temporary condition and is not harmful.
This abnormality is typically experienced by those people who are recovering their sense of smell following loss from a virus or an injury.
Some common triggers of parosmia include roasted, toasted or grilled foods, coffee, onions, chocolate, garlic and eggs.
It is likely that parosmia manifests itself due to the damage caused to the olfactory neurons when “the delicate and complex structure in the nose is attacked by a virus.”
