‘Research on vitamin-A efficiency to restore smell after Covid-19 underway’

KABUL (Pajhwok): Medical experts say a research is underway about the effectiveness of vitamin A drops in restoring the sense of smell after recovery from coronavirus infection.

Some news agencies reported that vitamin A drops are useful for restoring the sense of smell after infection by coronavirus.

Dunya-e-Eqtesad, an Iranian website quoting Daily Mail, said that researchers at the University of East of Anglia (UEA) believed that nasal drops containing vitamin A could help patients with Covid-19 regain their sense of smell.

In the research, British scientists found that nasal drops containing vitamin A played an important role in restoring the sense of smell of people infected by Covid-19.

Iran Online website in an article titled, “Nasal drops containing vitamin (A), a prescription to restore the sense of smell of coronavirus patients”, says that scientists found the drops able to restore the lost sense of smell.

Imena Translation Service, another Iranian website, in an article states that loss of sense of smell is one of the most common symptoms of Covid-19 disease. The article says that even before the coronavirus outbreak, many patients infected by other viruses also lost their sense of smell but the patients recovered their sense of smell within a few weeks. However, it says that loss of the smell stay for longer times in some patients.

A team of researchers conducted a new study to review the effects of vitamin A on improving the sense of smell of people who have recovered from coronavirus disease, and to evaluate people who have lost their sense of smell due to infection by the virus. Participants of this study were divided into two groups and the first group used vitamin A nasal drops.

The results of the study showed that the number of people who used vitamin A nasal drops and their sense of smell recovered was double compared to those whose who did not use these drops. As the loss of the sense of smell has a significant effect on the quality of life, it is important to conduct more studies in this area to find out about the efficiency of the medicine.

Independent Persian in an article stated that experts at University of East Anglia (UEA) would examine in a 12-week Apollo experiment to find out if nasal drops can repair damaged nasal tissue caused by the coronavirus. UEA in its announcement said that a research in Germany has shown that vitamin A can be helpful for such diseases.

Can vitamin A restore the sense of smell; what doctors say about it?

Arif Yaqubi, an internal health specialist, told Pajhwok that for any disease which affects the sense of smell doctors recommend vitamin A to treat it, because the vitamin helps to restore it.

“Vitamin A is a fat-soluble solution that dissolves in fat and its natural sources are milk, eggs, potatoes, pumpkin and apricots,” he added.

He said that excessive use of vitamin A causes side effects such as headaches, heartburn and even death

Dr. Baz Mohammad Shirzad, a former adviser to the Ministry of Public Health, said, “British experts say that vitamin A drops may be able to treat the loss or change of the sense of smell in some people with Covid-19 infection, but the efficiency of the drug is still under research which is not concluded.”

He added that vitamin A, also known as retinal, works well to protect the human body’s natural immunity against diseases and germs.

He said that one of the benefits of vitamin A is that it can be stored immediately for future use even if it exceeds the body’s need. “It means that the body does not need the vitamin every day,” he said.

Pajhwok tried to contact the Ministry of Public Health about its comment regarding the issue, but failed.

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