Psychophysical evaluation of chemosensory functions 5 weeks after olfactory loss due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study on 72 patients.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
; 278(1): 101-108, 2021 Jan.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1064481
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
To evaluate the evolution of chemosensation via extended psychophysical testing in patients who suffered from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Additionally, this study sought to determine whether odor threshold testing provided additional information on olfactory loss due to COVID-19 compared to the more common odor identification testing.METHODS:
Prospective cohort study of patients with sudden chemosensory loss since February 2020 and confirmed COVID-19 infection via RT-PCR or serology testing. Olfactory function was tested extensively using the "Sniffin Sticks" test battery. In addition, we screened gustatory perception and nasal cooling sensations using psychophysical tests.RESULTS:
Seventy-two patients completed the study. After a mean of 37 days, 37% of patients showed olfactory dysfunction, 7% were dysgeusic, and 48% showed signs of low sensitivity for cooling sensation. A longer duration of anosmia before smell improvement was correlated with lower olfactory function at 5 weeks. Odor threshold detection was more affected by COVID-19 compared to odor identification.CONCLUSION:
Five weeks after developing sudden chemosensory loss due to COVID-19, a high proportion of patients were dysosmic and showed signs of low nasal cooling sensitivity, whereas most of them had normal taste function. SARS-CoV-2 affected mainly odor thresholds, possibly suggesting that the major cause of loss of smell lies at the level of the olfactory neuroepithelium, rather than in the central nervous system.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Smell
/
Anosmia
/
COVID-19
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
Journal subject:
Otolaryngology
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S00405-020-06267-2
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