The
occurrence of anosmia, the loss or change in sense of smell,
is one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 experienced by almost
53% of those affected. Several hypotheses explain the mechanism of
anosmia in patients suffering from COVID-19. This study aims to review
the related mechanisms and answer the questions regarding COVID-19-related
anosmia as well as propose a new strategy for treatment of long-term
anosmia as a result of COVID-19 infection. This paper covers all of
the studies investigating olfactory disorders following COVID-19 infection
and explains the possible reasons for the correlated anosmia, including
olfactory cleft syndrome, local inflammation in the nasal epithelium,
early apoptosis of olfactory cells, changes in olfactory cilia and
odor transmission, damage to microglial cells, effect on olfactory
bulbs, epithelial olfactory injury, and impairment of olfactory neurons
and stem cells. The key questions that arise in this field have been
discussed, such as why prevalent anosmia is varied among the age categories
and among sexes and the correlation of anosmia with mild or severe
COVID-19 infection. The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor is
a significant player in the mechanism of anosmia in COVID-19 patients.
Based on current studies, a novel approach to treat long-COVID-19
with ongoing anosmia has been proposed. The fields of smart drug delivery,
tissue engineering, and cell therapy provide a hypothesized strategy
that can minimize the side effects of current treatments and support
efficient recovery of the olfactory system.