Gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: a prospective study.
BMJ Open
; 11(8): e040775, 2021 08 17.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1361993
ABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE Identifying undetected clinical signs is imperative in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2. OBJECTIVE:
To establish the prevalence of clinical gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Clinical outcomes and recovery rates associated with gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were also assessed.DESIGN:
A prospective study was performed in 80 patients admitted to Hospital Clínic of Barcelona (Spain) for COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were re-evaluated in the ward daily until discharge. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunction symptoms were retrospectively collected from emergency room (ER) charts after first assessments. Follow-up was performed in telemedicine consultation.SETTING:
The single-centre study was performed in a hospitalisation ward at a university hospital.PARTICIPANTS:
Consecutive patients meeting hospitalisation criteria for COVID-19 pneumonia were eligible. Study exclusion criteria were patients who could not speak, had previous gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions or whose PCR tests for SARS-CoV-19 were negative.INTERVENTIONS:
Systematic assessment of gustatory and olfactory symptoms with standardised questions.OUTCOMES:
Prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.RESULTS:
Of the 80 study subjects, 62.5% were male and the median age was 57 years. Half of the cohort (n=40) presented with comorbidities. The prevalence of chemosensitive disorder was 73.8% (n=59) (95% CI 63.8 to 83.8), although self-reported symptoms were recorded in only 26.3% (n=21) of patients in the ER. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were observed in 58.8% (n=47) and 55% (n=44) of cases, respectively. They were also the first symptoms in 25% (n=20) of patients. Anosmia was associated with ageusia, OR 7, 95% CI 2.3 to 21.8, p=0.001). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed when patients with and without gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were compared. Recovery rates were 20% (n=10) and 85% (n=42) at days 7 and 45, respectively.CONCLUSION:
The prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in COVID-19 pneumonia was much higher than in self-report. Presence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions was not a predictor of clinical outcomes.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjopen-2020-040775
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