Peculiarities of the microvessels of human olfactory bulbs under the COVID-19-associated pneumonia

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 noted the attention of clinicians to the state of the olfactory system. The most important factor of research interest was the development of anosmia as one of the important diagnostic symptoms of the disease. Existing studies indicate vascular changes and neuroimaging signs of olfactory bulb (OB) atrophy in patients with COVID-19, but microvascular changes in this pathology remains poorly understood. The obtained results indicate an increase in the thickness of the vascular wall of the OB’s capillaries due to perivascular edema, which may play a role in the development of edema of the OB and anosmia in patients suffering from COVID-19-associated pneumonia.