tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
. 2020 Aug 4.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-06267-2. Online ahead of print.
Psychophysical evaluation of chemosensory functions 5 weeks after olfactory loss due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study on 72 patients
Serge-Daniel Le Bon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nathalie Pisarski[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Justine Verbeke[SUP] 2 [/SUP], L?a Prunier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ga?tan Cavelier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marie-Paule Thill[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alexandra Rodriguez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Didier Dequanter[SUP] 2 [/SUP], J?r?me R Lechien[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Olivier Le Bon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Hummel[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mihaela Horoi[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the evolution of chemosensation via extended psychophysical testing in patients who suffered from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Additionally, this study sought to determine whether odor threshold testing provided additional information on olfactory loss due to COVID-19 compared to the more common odor identification testing.
Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients with sudden chemosensory loss since February 2020 and confirmed COVID-19 infection via RT-PCR or serology testing. Olfactory function was tested extensively using the "Sniffin Sticks" test battery. In addition, we screened gustatory perception and nasal cooling sensations using psychophysical tests.
Results: Seventy-two patients completed the study. After a mean of 37 days, 37% of patients showed olfactory dysfunction, 7% were dysgeusic, and 48% showed signs of low sensitivity for cooling sensation. A longer duration of anosmia before smell improvement was correlated with lower olfactory function at 5 weeks. Odor threshold detection was more affected by COVID-19 compared to odor identification.
Conclusion: Five weeks after developing sudden chemosensory loss due to COVID-19, a high proportion of patients were dysosmic and showed signs of low nasal cooling sensitivity, whereas most of them had normal taste function. SARS-CoV-2 affected mainly odor thresholds, possibly suggesting that the major cause of loss of smell lies at the level of the olfactory neuroepithelium, rather than in the central nervous system.
Keywords: COVID-19; Chemosensory loss; Psychophysical test; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2020 Aug 4.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-06267-2. Online ahead of print.
Psychophysical evaluation of chemosensory functions 5 weeks after olfactory loss due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study on 72 patients
Serge-Daniel Le Bon[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nathalie Pisarski[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Justine Verbeke[SUP] 2 [/SUP], L?a Prunier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Ga?tan Cavelier[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Marie-Paule Thill[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Alexandra Rodriguez[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Didier Dequanter[SUP] 2 [/SUP], J?r?me R Lechien[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Olivier Le Bon[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Thomas Hummel[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Mihaela Horoi[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32754871
- DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-06267-2
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the evolution of chemosensation via extended psychophysical testing in patients who suffered from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Additionally, this study sought to determine whether odor threshold testing provided additional information on olfactory loss due to COVID-19 compared to the more common odor identification testing.
Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients with sudden chemosensory loss since February 2020 and confirmed COVID-19 infection via RT-PCR or serology testing. Olfactory function was tested extensively using the "Sniffin Sticks" test battery. In addition, we screened gustatory perception and nasal cooling sensations using psychophysical tests.
Results: Seventy-two patients completed the study. After a mean of 37 days, 37% of patients showed olfactory dysfunction, 7% were dysgeusic, and 48% showed signs of low sensitivity for cooling sensation. A longer duration of anosmia before smell improvement was correlated with lower olfactory function at 5 weeks. Odor threshold detection was more affected by COVID-19 compared to odor identification.
Conclusion: Five weeks after developing sudden chemosensory loss due to COVID-19, a high proportion of patients were dysosmic and showed signs of low nasal cooling sensitivity, whereas most of them had normal taste function. SARS-CoV-2 affected mainly odor thresholds, possibly suggesting that the major cause of loss of smell lies at the level of the olfactory neuroepithelium, rather than in the central nervous system.
Keywords: COVID-19; Chemosensory loss; Psychophysical test; SARS-CoV-2.