Neuroepidemiology . Characteristics Associated with Olfactory and Taste Disorders in COVID-19

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Neuroepidemiology


. 2021 Jul 1;1-6.
doi: 10.1159/000517066. Online ahead of print.
Characteristics Associated with Olfactory and Taste Disorders in COVID-19


Simon Galmiche ¹ , Timothée Bruel ² , Yoann Madec ³ , Laura Tondeur ³ , Ludivine Grzelak ^{2 4 5} , Isabelle Staropoli ² , Isabelle Cailleau ⁶ , Marie-Noëlle Ungeheuer ⁷ , Charlotte Renaudat ⁷ , Sandrine Fernandes Pellerin ⁸ , Bruno Hoen ^{3 6} , Olivier Schwartz ^{2 4 5 9} , Arnaud Fontanet ^{3 10}



Affiliations

• PMID: 34198303
• DOI: 10.1159/000517066

Abstract

Introduction: Olfactory and taste disorders (OTDs) have been reported in COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the mechanisms of which remain unclear. We conducted a detailed analysis of OTDs as part of 2 seroepidemiological investigations of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Methods: Two retrospective cohort studies were conducted in a high school and primary schools of Northern France following a COVID-19 epidemic in February-March 2020. Students, their relatives, and school staff were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were identified using a flow-cytometry-based assay detecting anti-S IgG.
Results: Among 2,004 participants (median [IQR] age: 31 [11-43] years), 303 (15.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. OTDs were present in 91 (30.0%) and 92 (30.3%) of them, respectively, and had 85.1 and 78.0% positive predictive values for SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively. In seropositive participants, OTDs were independently associated with an age above 18 years, female gender, fatigue, and headache.
Conclusion: This study confirms the higher frequency of OTDs in females than males and adults than children. Their high predictive value for the diagnosis of COVID-19 suggests that they should be systematically searched for in patients with respiratory symptoms, fever, or headache. The association of OTDs with headache, not previously reported, suggests that they share a common mechanism, which deserves further investigation.

Keywords: Ageusia; Anosmia; COVID-19; Headache; Severe acute respiratory syndrome