Impaired taste & smell after a Covid-19 infection linked to higher levels of antibodies
嗅觉味觉减退的新冠感染者或产生更高水平抗体
In a new study published in the journal PLOS One, a group of researchers based in the United States found that the odds of developing greater amounts of antibodies to the coronavirus could be two times higher among those who experienced altered smell and taste post infection.
美国一项新研究发现，感染新冠病毒后出现嗅觉和味觉减退的人，其产生更高水平抗体的可能性要高出两倍。该研究发表在PLOS One期刊上。
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, loss of smell and taste were identified as one of the key symptoms of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
在疫情初期，嗅觉味觉丧失被确定为新冠感染的主要症状之一。
It has been reported that loss of smell is experienced by at least 43% up to 62% of people who had Covid-19 and tends to occur in the early stages after catching the virus.
据报道，新冠病毒感染者中，至少43%至62%的人会出现嗅觉失灵，并且该症状往往发生在感染病毒后的初期阶段。
To gain a better understanding of how people with altered smell and taste might have developed antibodies after a Covid-19 infection, the researchers enrolled 309 patients who are a part of the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center convalescent plasma trials.
为了更好地研究感染新冠后嗅觉味觉减退的人产生抗体的情况，研究人员招募了309名患者，他们参加了纽约长老会医院和哥伦比亚大学欧文医学中心的恢复期血浆试验。
All of them had been diagnosed with Covid-19 recently when the trial had begun in 2020. More than 60% of them were white women.
2020年研究开始时，这些参与者都刚刚确诊新冠，其中超过60%是白人女性。
Around 64% of them reported loss of smell and/or loss of taste.
大约64%的人报告了嗅觉和（或）味觉失灵。
“Results from our study suggest that loss of smell and taste during COVID-19 infection are strong predictive factors for a robust immunologic response.” the researchers concluded.
研究人员总结称：“研究结果表明，感染新冠期间的嗅觉和味觉失灵是强免疫反应的强预测因素。”
However, a major limitation of the study is that the participants had themselves reported whether or not they experienced a loss of smell and taste during and after a Covid-19 infection.
然而，该研究存在一个主要局限性。参与者自己报告他们是否在感染期间和之后出现嗅觉味觉失灵。
That means several participants might have faced difficulties in recalling whether their sense of smell or taste was altered or not.
这意味着一些参与者可能无法准确回忆起自己的嗅觉或味觉是否改变。
A 2022 study revealed that at least 90% of people who lost their sense of smell or taste gradually get it back within a span of two years.
2022年的一项研究显示，至少90%嗅觉或味觉失灵的新冠感染者在两年内逐渐恢复嗅觉或味觉。
The good news is, only 5% of people who reported losing their sense of smell or taste said it lasted for six months, although, women seem to be more prone to suffer from this symptom than men.
好消息是，报告嗅觉或味觉失灵的人群中，只有5%的人表示这种症状持续了六个月，女性似乎比男性更易出现该症状。
While there are several theories as to why a Covid-19 infection might alter an individual’s sense of smell and taste, a lot of uncertainties still persist.
关于感染新冠可能改变个体嗅觉和味觉的原因有多种解释，但这些理论仍存在许多不确定性。
