Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:38:22.746Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Olfactory dysfunction at six months after coronavirus disease 2019 infection

Part of: JLO Coronavirus Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2021

S R Leedman ,
M Sheeraz ,
P G Sanfilippo ,
D W Edgar ,
G V D'Aulerio ,
D M Robb ,
T Richards ,
C C Blyth  and
D A Mackey
S R Leedman*
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Australia
M Sheeraz
Affiliation:
COVID-19 Research Response, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Australia
P G Sanfilippo
Affiliation:
Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, Australia
D W Edgar
Affiliation:
Institute of Health Research, University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Physiotherapy Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Australia
G V D'Aulerio
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
D M Robb
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
T Richards
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
C C Blyth
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
D A Mackey
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Samuel Leedman, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia E-mail: samleedman@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to assess olfactory dysfunction in patients at six months after confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 infection.

Methods

Coronavirus disease 2019 positive patients were assessed six months following diagnosis. Patient data were recoded as part of the adapted International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium Protocol. Olfactory dysfunction was assessed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test.

Results

Fifty-six patients were included. At six months after coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis, 64.3 per cent of patients (n = 36) were normosmic, 28.6 per cent (n = 16) had mild to moderate microsmia and 7 per cent (n = 4) had severe microsmia or anosmia. There was a statistically significant association between older age and olfactory dysfunction. Hospital or intensive care unit admission did not lead to worse olfactory outcomes compared to those managed in the out-patient setting.

Conclusion

At six months after coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis, approximately two-thirds of patients will be normosmic. This study is the first to describe six-month outcomes for post-coronavirus disease 2019 patients in terms of olfactory dysfunction.

Keywords

CoronavirusCOVID-19AnosmiaHyposmiaOlfactory Impairment
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 9 , September 2021 , pp. 839 - 843
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Dr S Leedman takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

Hariyanto, TI, Rizki, NA, Kurniawan, A. Anosmia/hyposmia is a good predictor of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection: a meta-analysis. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021;25:e170–4Google ScholarPubMed
Ninchritz-Becerra, E, Soriano-Reixach, MM, Mayo-Yanez, M, Calvo-Henriquez, C, Martinez-Ruiz de Apodaca, P, Saga-Gutierrez, C et al. Subjective evaluation of smell and taste dysfunction in patients with mild COVID-19 in Spain. Med Clin (Engl Ed) 2021;156:61–4Google ScholarPubMed
Hu, Z, Song, C, Xu, C, Jin, G, Chen, Y, Xu, X et al. Clinical characteristics of 24 asymptomatic infections with COVID-19 screened among close contacts in Nanjing, China. Sci China Life Sci 2020;63:706–11CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, LQ, Huang, T, Wang, YQ, Wang, ZP, Liang, Y, Huang, TB et al. COVID-19 patients' clinical characteristics, discharge rate, and fatality rate of meta-analysis. J Med Virol 2020;92:577–83CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mizumoto, K, Kagaya, K, Zarebski, A, Chowell, G. Estimating the asymptomatic proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, Yokohama, Japan, 2020. Euro Surveill 2020;25:2000180CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koul, D, Begh, RA, Kalsotra, P. Olfactory and gustatory alterations in Covid-19 patients: a tertiary care Covid-19 centre inpatient experience. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021. Epub 2021 Jan 28CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menni, C, Valdes, AM, Freidin, MB, Sudre, CH, Nguyen, LH, Drew, DA et al. Real-time tracking of self-reported symptoms to predict potential COVID-19. Nat Med 2020;26:1037–40CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
D'Ascanio, L, Pandolfini, M, Cingolani, C, Latini, G, Gradoni, P, Capalbo, M et al. Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: prevalence and prognosis for recovering sense of smell. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021;164:82–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thakur, K, Sagayaraj, A, Prasad, KC, Gupta A. Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: findings from a tertiary rural centre. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2021. Epub 2021 Jan 18CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechner, M, Chandrasekharan, D, Jumani, K, Liu, J, Gane, S, Lund, VJ et al. Anosmia as a presenting symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers - a systematic review of the literature, case series, and recommendations for clinical assessment and management. Rhinology 2020;58:394–9Google ScholarPubMed
Rajan, S, Khunti, K, Alwan, N, Steves, C, Greenhalgh, T, MacDermott, N et al. Policy Brief 39. In the Wake of the Pandemic: Preparing for Long COVID. Copenhagen: World Health Organization, 2021Google Scholar
Elkholi, SMA, Abdelwahab, MK, Abdelhafeez, M. Impact of the smell loss on the quality of life and adopted coping strategies in COVID-19 patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2021. Epub 2021 Jan 19CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siegel, JK, Kung, SY, Wroblewski, KE, Kern, DW, McClintock, MK, Pinto, JM. Olfaction is associated with sexual motivation and satisfaction in older men and women. J Sex Med 2021;18:295–302CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Doty, RL, Shaman, P, Dann, M. Development of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test: a standardized microencapsulated test of olfactory function. Physiol Behav 1984;32:489–502CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, De Siati, DR, Horoi, M, Le Bon, SD, Rodriguez, A et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2020;277:2251–61CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Printza, A, Katotomichelakis, M, Metallidis, S, Panagopoulos, P, Sarafidou, A, Petrakis, V et al. The clinical course of smell and taste loss in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Hippokratia 2020;24:66–71Google ScholarPubMed
Wehling, E, Nordin, S, Espeseth, T, Reinvang, I, Lundervold, AJ. Unawareness of olfactory dysfunction and its association with cognitive functioning in middle aged and old adults. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2011;26:260–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moein, ST, Hashemian, SM, Tabarsi, P, Doty, RL. Prevalence and reversibility of smell dysfunction measured psychophysically in a cohort of COVID-19 patients. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2020;10:1127–35CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackay-Sim, A, Johnston, AN, Owen, C, Burne, TH. Olfactory ability in the healthy population: reassessing presbyosmia. Chem Senses 2006;31:763–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinto, JM, Wroblewski, KE, Kern, DW, Schumm, LP, McClintock, MK. The rate of age-related olfactory decline among the general population of older U.S. adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015;70:1435–41CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martinez, B, Karunanayaka, P, Wang, J, Tobia, MJ, Vasavada, M, Eslinger, PJ et al. Different patterns of age-related central olfactory decline in men and women as quantified by olfactory fMRI. Oncotarget 2017;8:79212–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wysocki, CJ, Gilbert, AN. National Geographic Smell Survey. Effects of age are heterogenous. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1989;561:12–28CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mazzoli, M, Molinari, MA, Tondelli, M, Giovannini, G, Ricceri, R, Ciolli, L et al. Olfactory function and viral recovery in COVID-19. Brain Behav 2021;11:e02006CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xu, T, Chen, C, Zhu, Z, Cui, M, Chen, C, Dai, H et al. Clinical features and dynamics of viral load in imported and non-imported patients with COVID-19. Int J Infect Dis 2020;94:68–71CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Singh, CV, Jain, S, Parveen, S. The outcome of fluticasone nasal spray on anosmia and triamcinolone oral paste in dysgeusia in COVID-19 patients. Am J Otolaryngol 2021;42:102892CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Abdelalim, AA, Mohamady, AA, Elsayed, RA, Elawady, MA, Ghallab, AF. Corticosteroid nasal spray for recovery of smell sensation in COVID-19 patients: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Otolaryngol 2021;42:102884CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaccour, C, Casellas, A, Blanco-Di Matteo, A, Pineda, I, Fernandez-Montero, A, Ruiz-Castillo, P et al. The effect of early treatment with ivermectin on viral load, symptoms and humoral response in patients with non-severe COVID-19: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. EClinicalMedicine 2021;32:100720CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Addison, AB, Wong, B, Ahmed, T, Macchi, A, Konstantinidis, I, Huart, C et al. Clinical Olfactory Working Group consensus statement on the treatment of postinfectious olfactory dysfunction. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2021;147:1704–19CrossRefGoogle Scholar