tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
. 2021 Jan 1.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-06503-9. Online ahead of print.
Clinical significance of smell and taste dysfunction and other related factors in COVID-19
Esra Kavaz[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Emel Tahir[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Heval Can Bilek[SUP] 4 [/SUP], ?zg?r Kemal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aydın Deveci[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Esra Aksakal Tanyel[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate smell and taste dysfunction (STD) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive and negative patients, and to assess the factors associated with STD in COVID-19 positive patients.
Methods: Patients who had been tested with the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 were identified, and according to the RT-PCR test results, patients were separated into Positive and Negative Groups. A telephone-based assessment was applied to both groups using the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Anosmia Reporting Tool. Patients in Positive Group were also asked to rate STD, nasal breathing, and anxiety in three different time periods (pre-/during-/post-COVID) using the visual analog scale (VAS).
Results: A total of 53 COVID-19 positive and 51 negative patients completed the surveys. STD was eightfold more frequent (OR 8.19; CI 95% 3.22-20.84) in the Positive Group. Of the 53 COVID-19 positive patients, 32 reported STD and 21 did not. 'Ground-glass appearance' on chest-computed tomography was more frequent and median lymphocyte count was significantly lower in COVID-19 positive patients with STD. During-COVID STD and nasal breathing VAS scores were significantly lower than the pre- and post-COVID scores. During-COVID STD scores were significantly correlated with anxiety scores (Spearman's rho-0.404, p = 0.022) but not correlated with nasal breathing scores.
Conclusion: STD may be related to increased inflammatory response as well as damage of olfactory neuronal pathway or non-neuronal olfactory mucosa. Understanding the exact cause of chemosensory impairment in COVID-19 can be helpful in explaining the pathophysiology of the disease.
Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; Olfactory dysfunction; SARS-CoV-2; Visual analog scale.
. 2021 Jan 1.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-06503-9. Online ahead of print.
Clinical significance of smell and taste dysfunction and other related factors in COVID-19
Esra Kavaz[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Emel Tahir[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Heval Can Bilek[SUP] 4 [/SUP], ?zg?r Kemal[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Aydın Deveci[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Esra Aksakal Tanyel[SUP] 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33386439
- DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-06503-9
Abstract
Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate smell and taste dysfunction (STD) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive and negative patients, and to assess the factors associated with STD in COVID-19 positive patients.
Methods: Patients who had been tested with the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for COVID-19 were identified, and according to the RT-PCR test results, patients were separated into Positive and Negative Groups. A telephone-based assessment was applied to both groups using the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Anosmia Reporting Tool. Patients in Positive Group were also asked to rate STD, nasal breathing, and anxiety in three different time periods (pre-/during-/post-COVID) using the visual analog scale (VAS).
Results: A total of 53 COVID-19 positive and 51 negative patients completed the surveys. STD was eightfold more frequent (OR 8.19; CI 95% 3.22-20.84) in the Positive Group. Of the 53 COVID-19 positive patients, 32 reported STD and 21 did not. 'Ground-glass appearance' on chest-computed tomography was more frequent and median lymphocyte count was significantly lower in COVID-19 positive patients with STD. During-COVID STD and nasal breathing VAS scores were significantly lower than the pre- and post-COVID scores. During-COVID STD scores were significantly correlated with anxiety scores (Spearman's rho-0.404, p = 0.022) but not correlated with nasal breathing scores.
Conclusion: STD may be related to increased inflammatory response as well as damage of olfactory neuronal pathway or non-neuronal olfactory mucosa. Understanding the exact cause of chemosensory impairment in COVID-19 can be helpful in explaining the pathophysiology of the disease.
Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; Olfactory dysfunction; SARS-CoV-2; Visual analog scale.