Kovit-19: At the age of 12, his sense of smell and taste is disturbed

Arthur Karon, 12, was diagnosed with Covit-19 at school last May. After losing the taste and aroma, almost all the food now smells and tastes so bad to him, the smell of roasted chicken tastes like it was throwing him off.

It is hard for the young man to describe this taste and this smell, which is reminiscent of anything he knew before.

“It smells worse than garbage,” he drops. The boy lost 20 pounds in three months because he could not eat properly.

Arthur suffers from psoriasis associated with symptoms of chronic goiter. This odor and taste decay can occur after the loss of taste and odor, sometimes months after infection with the virus (See other text) According to him, it all started in September.

For over a week the boy who had rediscovered the taste of meat and ice cream did not have time to rejoice for long. He remembered opening one of his favorite flavors, the Jalapeno Crisps bag, which did not taste as usual. “I opened another crispy bag. But it tasted even worse, ”he says.

In a few days, all the dishes, except the chocolate, quickly gained the same taste and aroma, but the chocolate except for its usual taste.

“I’m sorry. It’s very sad for me,” Arthur gives up.

A nose clip to eat

His mother Julie Bouchard says all he can swallow comes from protein bars and milk. “Sometimes he pinches himself to eat a normal meal, but it’s not pleasant. He has to hold the nose clip for a long time because if he has sex after dinner, he will throw it away,” he said.

Ms. Bouchard did not know which door to knock on to help his son. In recent weeks, he has accelerated the process, but to no avail.

Her family doctor told her to be patient. An ENT specialist recommended him a nasal spray, which gave no results. The nutritionists he contacted pointed out that they were not experts in this type of event.

Unsupported mother

“I feel powerless. I don’t know what to do with my son anymore,” said the mother, who has spent hours researching the web.

She is surprised to find that “re-education” practices are more common in France than in Quebec. This includes training to stimulate the brain with certain known odors and to help detect odors and tastes correctly.

“I made a lot of calls and it looks like no one here did it,” he said.

While his son dreams of a day when he enjoys a good steak, his mother thinks of lighting a lamp for a church. “I’m there. We have nothing to lose,” she drops.

May affect up to 5% of cases

Up to 5% of people with Govit-19 disease may suffer from psoriasis, which is a disorder of the taste buds.

As child cases increase this fall, more young people are likely to be affected in the coming months.

At least Dr. Luke Monet, president of the Association d’Otto-Rhino-Laryngology and Deirurki Cervico-Facial du Quebec, says in light of the scientific data, however, it is low.

“We don’t have a lot of backwards yet,” he insists.

The doctor notes that loss of taste and smell (anosmia) or degeneration of these two senses (parosmia) existed long before infection, but both of these events have often changed with COVID-19.

However, this phenomenon is very rare in children. “In 25 years of practice, I’ve never seen this before,” he says.

But with the number of children infected with the virus in recent months, cases are now more common.

Generally, 1 to 5% of people who test positive will show signs of anosmia or psoriasis within three to six months.

Children admitted to the hospital are at higher risk for developing long-term symptoms as they develop more severe forms of the disease.

This was not the case with Arthur, however (See other text), Was only mildly ill for a few days at home.

There is no approved treatment

There is no “approved treatment” for such an event yet, says Dr. Monet.

Hospital-administered cortisone may help control the incidence of COVID-19-induced inflammation, but this treatment may not work for symptoms that appear several months after exposure to the virus.

As for “alfactory rehabilitation” practices, they are also in Quebec, he assures us.

“We’m not saying successes are incredible, but it’s a possible approach. I have recommended it to patients myself,” he says.