Parosmia: A Significant Symptom In Covid-19 Recovering Patients

ABSTRACT

Anosmia is a total loss of the smell, hyposmia is a decrease in the sense of smell, parosmia is a distortion of the smell in the presence of an existing stimulus. Sudden smell loss is a specific early symptom of COVID-19, with an estimated prevalence of ~40% to 75%. Smell impairment affects physical and mental health, and dietary behavior. Thus, it is critical to understand the rate and time course of smell recovery. This study was done to observe the parosmia as a significant symptom in Covid-19 recovering patients during second wave in India. 102 subjects participated in this study. Both male and female adults were included in this study. Questions regarding features of loss of smell, parosmia and taste sensations in covid 19 patients were asked with help of Google forms. 27.77 % subjects had parosmia and 72.22 % subjects had regained normal smell sensation. While smell loss improves for many individuals who lost it due to COVID-19, the prevalence of parosmia increases substantially over time. Olfactory dysfunction is also associated with wider COVID-19 symptoms and may persist for many months after COVID-19 onset. If parosmia is detected, they should be referred to otolaryngologists for scent training. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.