nSARS-CoV-2 has caused a worldwide pandemic since 2019. Majority of patients suffering from COVID-19 have reported respiratory symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath as their main symptoms. Among the patients suffering from non-respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 infection, anosmia has been one of the most common complaints. The reason behind loss of smell in COVID-19 may be explained by the fact that the nasal mucosa is rich in ACE-2 receptors. Since nSARS-CoV-2 enters the body through these receptors, involvement of the nasal mucosa is the chief cause of anosmia. This problem can range from 10-14 days with spontaneous remission, while some patients have not yet recovered and the damage seems to be permanent.
A trial was conducted with 300 patients (all tested RT-PCR positive for COVID-19) who complained of anosmia. All of these patients were given multivitamin tablets twice daily for 15days. Each of these tablets contained:
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- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) 10mg
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) 10mg
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) 45mg
- Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) 50mg
- Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) 3mg
- Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) 15mcg
201 patients (67%) reported their anosmia cured within 10 days of onset of symptoms whereas the median time of patients not receiving multivitamin is 18days. The results clearly show beneficial effects of Vitamin B complex.
This is useful information provided by Dr Abhijit Ray during this epidemic. Anyone can gain more confidence after reading this article that anosmia can be cured within 10 days of the onset of symptoms by consuming the vitamin B complex !. Sometimes patients may live in fear of not knowing this information.
Thank you Doctor!
B vitamins especially B1 abd B2 helped me enormously to recover from Covid
I had neuropathy, fatigue and gait problems
All resolved with B vitamins