Analysis of Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction of COVID-19 Cases in Wuhan, China

Abstract

Objective: To describe the olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients and analyze the association with systemic symptoms. Methods: We recruited 101 confirmed patients of COVID-19 between Jan 11, 2020 and Feb 25, 2020 from the Central Hospital of Wuhan, China. Clinical information was obtained using the electronic medical record system, questionnaire, and telephone survey. The binary logistics model was used to investigate the association of systemic symptoms with olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, respectively. Sensitive analysis was performed to validate the observed association in subgroups by disease severity and after propensity score matching. Results: Out of the 101 patients, the mean age was 33.04 (±6.76) years. 30 cases (29.70%) had olfactory dysfunction and 37 cases (36.63%) reported gustatory dysfunction, respectively. The females were more likely to suffer from gustatory disorder (P=0.012). Notably, cases with bilateral lung infection were more likely to have olfactory and gustatory dysfunction (P=0.041 and P=0.038). In systemic symptoms, nasal obstruction (OR: 9.16), diarrhea (OR: 2.92), and abdominal pain (OR: 9.85) remained significantly associated with olfactory dysfunction after confounding factors adjusted; anorexia (OR: 6.49), nasal obstruction (OR: 4.55) and vomiting (OR: 10.11) remained significant for gustatory dysfunction. The association was validated in multiple sensitive analysis. Conclusion: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction is more common in COVID-19 patients than expected in China, which is found associated with specific systemic symptoms. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction deserves more attention in clinical practice and its biological mechanism in COVID-19 warrants further research. Funding Statement: Not applicable. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The study strictly followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by an independent Ethics Committee. After explaining the purpose and significance of the study, all the individuals voluntarily completed the questionnaire and gave verbal consent to access their electronic cases.