NEW YORK – Lengthy COVID has many signs, from fatigue and joint ache to issue concentrating, despair and muscle ache, however probably the most distressing is the lack of your sense of scent and style.
Now, CBS2’s Dr. Max Gomez reviews there is a distinctive solution to restore these senses that truly began out as a therapy for tennis elbow.
Nancy Damato is lastly capable of take pleasure in consuming once more. She misplaced her skill to style and scent after a bout with COVID-19 final February.
“It was actually, actually jarring. I imply, I misplaced it, like, instantaneously,” she mentioned.
It is typically one of many first signs of COVID that is normally non permanent, however for some sufferers, like Damato, the shortcoming to style and scent lasts and turns into a COVID-19 long-haul symptom.
“It was life-changing that I could not take pleasure in any meals. I did not wish to eat. It was so miserable,” she mentioned.
COVID VACCINE
With restricted therapy choices, Damato discovered an intriguing analysis mission at Jefferson Well being in Philadelphia.
“I actually really feel that it is serving to me,” she mentioned.
The Jefferson analysis is testing platelet-rich plasma, referred to as PRP, from the affected person’s personal blood to revive scent. It has been used to heal gentle tissue accidents like pulled muscle groups and tennis elbow and even to regrow hair. Now as a substitute of injections, Dr. David Rosen and his group are utilizing a biodegradable sponge infused with PRP.
“We put it up very excessive up within the nostril the place all of the scent fibers are positioned. It will get absorbed by means of the liner of the nostril. It mainly helps these cells which were broken by the COVID virus to start out regenerating,” Rosen mentioned.
He says of the 9 COVID-19 sufferers who’ve obtained PRP, eight have responded.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
“I will begin to take pleasure in some flavors, meals once more,” Damato mentioned.
After 5 month-to-month therapies, Damato says her sense of scent and style are slowly coming again. She’s capable of take pleasure in her fragrance once more and is again to wine tastings.
The speculation as to how PRP works, within the elbow and maybe within the nostril, is that the plasma stimulates and nurtures stem cells to regenerate, regrow and restore the cells which were broken, both by COVID or by an excessive amount of tennis trauma.
