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Six-month smell and taste recovery rates in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a prospective psychophysical study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2021

M Petrocelli ,
S Cutrupi ,
G Salzano ,
F Maglitto ,
F A Salzano ,
J R Lechien ,
S Saussez ,
P Boscolo-Rizzo ,
G De Riu  and
L A Vaira
M Petrocelli
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Italy
S Cutrupi
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Dentistry Operative Unit, Bellaria and Maggiore Hospital, AUSL of Bologna, Italy
G Salzano
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Naples Federico II, Italy
F Maglitto
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Naples Federico II, Italy
F A Salzano
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Otolaryngology Operative Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitan, University of Salerno, Italy
J R Lechien
Affiliation:
Covid-19 Task Force of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological Societies, Paris, France Department of Human and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Belgium
S Saussez
Affiliation:
Covid-19 Task Force of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological Societies, Paris, France Department of Human and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Belgium
P Boscolo-Rizzo
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy
G De Riu
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University Hospital of Sassari, Italy Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, Italy
L A Vaira*
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University Hospital of Sassari, Italy Biomedical Science Department, Biomedical Science PhD School, University of Sassari, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Luigi Angelo Vaira, Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Viale San Pietro 43/B, Sassari07100, Italy E-mail: lavaira@uniss.it Fax: +39 07 922 9002
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Abstract

Background

The long-term recovery rate for coronavirus disease 2019 related chemosensory disturbances has not yet been clarified.

Methods

Olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed with psychophysical tests in patients in the first seven days from coronavirus disease 2019 onset and one, two, three and six months after the first evaluation.

Results

A total of 300 patients completed the study. The improvement in olfactory function was significant at the two-month follow up. At the end of the observation period, 27 per cent of the patients still experienced a persistent olfactory disturbance, including anosmia in 5 per cent of cases. As for taste, the improvement in the psychophysical scores was significant only between the baseline and the 30-day control. At the 6-month evaluation, 10 per cent of the patients presented with a persistent gustatory disturbance with an incidence of complete ageusia of 1 per cent.

Conclusion

Six months after the onset of coronavirus disease 2019, about 6 per cent of patients still had a severe persistent olfactory or gustatory disturbance.

Keywords

COVID-19Olfaction DisorderTasteSmellAnosmiaAgeusiaSARS-CoV-2Coronavirus
Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 5 , May 2021 , pp. 436 - 441
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Dr L A Vaira takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

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