Anosmia, trigeminal nerve dysfunction, and COVID-19: A personal account

Abstract

I contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and suffered not only from sudden anosmia, but also from a strange stinging and burning sensation inside my nose with some pain complicated by desensitization to spicy foods and fizziness of carbonated drinks. As a possible mechanism involving these symptoms, I theorize that not only is the olfactory epithelium within the olfactory nerve damaged, but the trigeminal nerve might also be affected, leading to olfactory dysfunction and strange nasal sensations.

Keywords

• covid-19
• olfactory dysfunction
• trigeminal nerve
• anosmia
• hyposmia