Loss of smell in patients with COVID-19: MRI data reveal a transient edema of the olfactory clefts.
Neurology
; 95(23): e3145-e3152, 2020 12 08.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-966472
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the physiopathology of olfactory function loss (OFL) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we evaluated the olfactory clefts (OC) on MRI during the early stage of the disease and 1 month later.METHODS:
This was a prospective, monocentric, case-controlled study. Twenty severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2)-infected patients with OFL were included and compared to 20 age-matched healthy controls. All infected patients underwent olfactory function assessment and 3T MRI, performed both at the early stage of the disease and at the 1-month follow-up.RESULTS:
At the early stage, SARS-CoV2-infected patients had a mean olfactory score of 2.8 ± 2.7 (range 0-8), and MRI displayed a complete obstruction of the OC in 19 of 20 patients. Controls had normal olfactory scores and no obstruction of the OC on MRI. At the 1 month follow-up, the olfactory score had improved to 8.3 ± 1.9 (range 4-10) in patients, and only 7 of 20 patients still had an obstruction of the OC. There was a correlation between olfactory score and obstruction of the OC (p = 0.004).CONCLUSION:
OFL in SARS-CoV2-infected patients is associated with a reversible obstruction of the OC.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Nasal Obstruction
/
Edema
/
Anosmia
/
COVID-19
/
Nasal Cavity
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Language:
English
Journal:
Neurology
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
WNL.0000000000010806
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS