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(CNN) -
The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked "growing public health concern" regarding people losing their sense of smell, according to new research released Thursday.
In the research, published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, it is estimated that between 700,000 and 1.6 million people in the United States who were infected with covid-19 have lost or have suffered a change in their sense of smell that has lasted more than 6 months.
According to the authors, who are from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, this figure is likely underestimated.
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The study suggests that most people regain their sense of smell over time, but some may never regain it.
The authors consider this to be concerning because, in comparison, before the pandemic, only 13.3 million adults aged 40 and over had what scientists call olfactory dysfunction (OD) or chronic olfactory dysfunction (COD).
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"These data suggest an emerging public health concern for OD and the urgent need for research that focuses on treating COD caused by covid-19," the study notes.
An earlier study found that 72% of people with COVID-19 regained their sense of smell within a month, but for some the process is much slower.
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According to John Hayes, director of the Center for Sensory Assessment at the University of Pennsylvania College of Agricultural Sciences, "long-term disease problems are going to last for decades."
Hayes has not worked on this study, but has done research in this field.
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He believes that the estimated number of people with this problem in the study is conservative and that the problem could affect many millions more.
Although the long-term loss of the sense of smell may seem trivial compared to other COVID-19 symptoms, such as chronic fatigue or heart problems, not being able to smell can be dangerous, he said. A 2014 study found that people who had lost their sense of smell were more than twice as likely to experience dangers, such as eating spoiled food, than those who did. Loss of the sense of smell has also been linked to depression in previous studies.
"It's really essential when it comes to appetite and social relationships, as people who have lost their sense of smell may not be able to detect if they have body odor, and it can affect diet as well," Hayes said.
"Some may say that they would rather lose their sense of smell than go blind or die, but there is a real and substantial problem here."
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