Abstract
AbstractObjective: To explore food consumption and subsequent behavioural changes amongst PASC suffers associated with alterations in taste and smell.Design: A qualitative study involving five focus groups.Setting: Birmingham and Leicester, England, United Kingdom.Participants: Forty-seven Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 sufferers.Results: Shifts in taste and odour were very common with disgusting or unpleasant notes being perceived in many foods, including animal products rich in protein. Food consumption patterns varied affecting nutrition status, individuals weight, types of foods consumed, cooking habits, coping mechanisms, anxieties, family and social interactions. Individuals expressed the need to taste something or experience normal tastes and flavour. Low pH foods, highly processed foods which may contain large amounts of refined sugars as well as cold processed food were the preferred items for consumption.Conclusion: Olfactory dysfunction was related to the consumption of nutrients that require moderation and to the quality of life. Intervention at an early stage is necessary in order to help avoid such complications and thus, this work informs medical practitioners and health workers of the variety of food choices that are more acceptable for people suffering from altered tastes and odour perception.
Highlights
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, led to a pandemic in March 2020 and a global health crisis[1,2]
Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may exhibit to varying degrees as hyposmia, anosmia, hypogeusia, ageusia, hyposmia, parosmia, phantosmia termed olfactory hallucinations,(8) phantogeusia known as gustatory hallucinations[9] and chemesthesis
Geographical studies[32,33] reported 43⋅1 and 49 % BAME classification in the cities of Birmingham and Leicester, respectively. This sample study reflects the participation and interest of the BAME community as individuals are at a higher risk of developing severe COVID and are four times more likely to die from the disease[34,35,36]
Summary
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, led to a pandemic in March 2020 and a global health crisis[1,2]. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are wide-ranging and nonspecific varying from patient to patient. These symptoms may include but are not restricted to high temperature, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, dry cough, myalgia, dyspnoea, chest pain, joint pain, chills, loss of taste and smell, skin rash and discolouration of fingers and toes[3,4]. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction may exhibit to varying degrees as hyposmia (partial loss of smell), anosmia (total loss of smell), hypogeusia (decrease in taste sensitivity), ageusia (total loss of taste), hyposmia (decrease in sensitivity of odour), parosmia (altered sense of smell), phantosmia termed olfactory hallucinations (smelling odours that are not there),(8) phantogeusia known as gustatory hallucinations (taste perceived in the oral cavity independent of any external stimuli)(9) and chemesthesis (evoking sensations like burning, cooling and tingling). Anosmia and dysgeusia are often comorbid in journals.cambridge.org/jns
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