DR. MARTIN SCURR: A nasty bout of Covid three years ago left me losing my sense of taste and smell… am I doomed to live like this forever?

I lost my sense of taste and smell three years ago due to Covid. Is there anything I can do to get them back? I am a 71 year old woman with type 1 diabetes.

W. Bruno, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

Dr. Martin Scurr replies: Losing or partially losing the sense of taste and smell (known as anosmia) is a common legacy of Covid.

It occurs because all human cells have a protein on their surface called the ACE2 receptor, which is used by the Covid-19 virus to gain entry – in the case of SARS-CoV-2, which inhabits the nasal airways, mouth, lungs, heart, gastrointestinal tract and the endothelium (cells that line all blood vessels). These receptors are also found in cells that control taste and smell.

How well your body recovers from Covid depends on a number of factors, especially the quality of your own immune responses. This can be influenced by your genes and whether or not you have other adverse factors, including insulin resistance (as seen in diabetes).

The vast majority of people who lose their sense of smell and taste recover almost completely within three months; In less than 5 percent of people it will last up to twelve months. When it lasts much longer, as in your case, your symptoms are classified as long-Covid.

I wonder if antihistamines can help in your case.

Histamines are chemicals produced by mast cells as part of the body’s immune response. It is thought that mast cells may play a role in long Covid – and that antihistamines (such as fexofenadine and famotidine, both available without a prescription) may reduce the inflammation that causes loss of taste and smell by blocking histamine receptors.

Studies have shown that when people with long-term Covid-19 and anosmia were treated with both drugs for two to four months, their symptoms improved by 72 percent. I would ask your GP if a trial of these two antihistamines might help as three years is a very long time before you are still suffering.

My husband is almost 80, has always been fit and healthy, but suffers badly from diverticulitis. He loses a lot of blood from his back passage when he has a seizure, one time requiring a transfusion. Is this level of blood loss common?

Jacqui Chambers, Raydon, Ipswich.

Dr. Martin Scurr replies: In diverticulitis, small pouches, or diverticulae, that form in the colon become infected or inflamed. The bags are often attributed to a low-fiber diet, but aging is another factor.

Typically, diverticulae do not cause any problems, although it is not uncommon to get recurring infections because small pieces of food become stuck in the pouches.

This can lead to severe and prolonged pain in the lower left abdomen, accompanied by high fever, nausea and changes in bowel habits. Sometimes diverticula can become ulcerated, which can lead to bleeding. But it’s rare for someone to experience these types of complications so often; your letter states that it happened to your husband six times.

Repeated bleeding leads to anemia, which makes your husband tired, but in itself diverticulitis is not a sinister diagnosis.

All patients I have seen with this level of recurrent rectal bleeding due to diverticular disease have been advised to undergo surgery to remove the affected part of the colon to prevent chronic anemia and reduce the risk of infection and reduce sepsis.

I suggest that your husband ask about being referred to a colorectal surgeon.

IN MY OPINION: Sugar should only be a rare treat

The best New Year’s resolution anyone can make is to cut out sugar.

I know, last week I said a little bit about what you like, it does you good (this followed research showing that sweet treats in the company of friends and family and a happy atmosphere reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease ).

But my point is that sugar should be like champagne: you can enjoy it in small doses on special occasions as a real treat.

The fact is that sugar has no more nutritional value than alcohol – and it is being used by the food industry for profit, creating a crisis of obesity and ill health.

The cavalry is coming, in the form of GLP 1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

Almost everyone I know who takes these medications has told me that they now have lost interest in alcohol (also called liquid sugar) and have also lost their cravings for sugary foods.

I’m obviously not advocating Ozempic for everyone, but I am calling on all of you to try giving up sugar, or at least reduce your intake. Starting tomorrow. Happy new year!