Loss of smell linked to high depression rate, study finds

Losing your sense of smell can affect quality of life as severely as diabetes, stroke, Parkinson’s and kidney failure, a study has found.

- REBECCA WHITTAKER

People with a smell or taste disorder lose the simple pleasure of smelling a morning coffee or tasting a home-cooked meal.

While this loss of smell and taste may be seen as merely an inconvenience, life can quickly become bleak — with patients reporting levels of misery comparable to some of the most serious chronic illnesses.

As many as one in five people are affected by a smell or taste disorder. The Covid pandemic highlighted the impact of smell impairment (anosmia) and taste loss (ageusia), a common symptom which affected millions who had the virus.

Now, a new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) has revealed that the loss of these senses can be debilitating.