Prevalence and reversibility of smell dysfunction measured psychophysically in a cohort of COVID-19 patients.
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol
; 10(10): 1127-1135, 2020 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-697136
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Considerable evidence suggests that smell dysfunction is common in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Unfortunately, extant data on prevalence and reversibility over time are highly variable, coming mainly from self-report surveys prone to multiple biases. Thus, validated psychophysical olfactory testing is sorely needed to establish such parameters.METHODS:
One hundred severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive patients were administered the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) in the hospital near the end of the acute phase of the disease. Eighty-two were retested 1 or 4 weeks later at home. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and mixed-effect regression models.RESULTS:
Initial UPSIT scores were indicative of severe microsmia, with 96% exhibiting measurable dysfunction; 18% were anosmic. The scores improved upon retest (initial test mean, 21.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 20.84-23.09; retest mean, 31.13; 95% CI, 30.16-32.10; p < 0.0001); no patient remained anosmic. After 5 weeks from COVID-19 symptom onset, the test scores of 63% of the retested patients were normal. However, the mean UPSIT score at that time continued to remain below that of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (p < 0.001). Such scores were related to time since symptom onset, sex, and age.CONCLUSION:
Smell loss was extremely common in the acute phase of a cohort of 100 COVID-19 patients when objectively measured. About one third of cases continued to exhibit dysfunction 6 to 8 weeks after symptom onset. These findings have direct implications for the use of olfactory testing in identifying SARS-CoV-2 carriers and for counseling such individuals with regard to their smell dysfunction and its reversibility.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Psychophysics
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Int Forum Allergy Rhinol
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Alr.22680
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