A National Study of Olfactory Dysfunction among COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: COVID-19 has different symptomatology reported in the literature, including olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction. The evidence now points to smelling loss as one of the most common symptoms, and in some patient is the only symptom. The prevalence of smelling loss has various bases in the literature. Over time, many centers realized the potential of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction to be early symptoms of COVID-19. Recently, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention added smell or taste loss to symptoms that may appear after exposure to COVID-19. In this study, we are the first national project to report anosmia in COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is the first national cross-sectional study from the Saudi Ministry of Health’s database. Ethics and written approval from the Institutional Review Board was obtained from the King Abdullah Medical City Research Center, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Results: There were 5492 patients with a positive COVID-19 enrolled in this study. The most common comorbidity among positive COVID-19 patients is bronchial asthma (8.6%), followed by diabetes mellitus (7.5%). Approximately 30% had olfactory and taste dysfunction during the COVID-19 infection period. We found the presence of comorbidities, such as cognitive disorder (54.9%), immunodeficiency (46.8), and diabetes mellitus (23%), as significantly related to olfactory and taste dysfunction (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may be the only presenting symptoms of COVID-19 in diabetic and immunocompromised patients, such that awareness of COVID-19 is crucial for early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.