Do people recover from viral anosmia?
Yes they do. Some recover spontaneously. The recovery rate is not known – figures are vague and badly researched, ranging from 18% of all cases in one study to 66% in another. Yet another study suggests that two thirds of all viral anosmia victims will have recovered at least some of their smell within four years. Bearing in mind that ‘some of your smell’ is arguably as little as 1% and that four years is a long time, this is not a good prognosis. However, many people who become viral anosmics and recover quickly will not report their situation to any medical practitioner so it can be assumed that more people recover than have been recorded in any study. The cells of the olfactory epithelium can regenerate, so spontaneous recovery is certainly possible.
