Abstract
PurposeThe prevalence of long-term olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in participants suffering from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. Furthermore, evaluations of the reliability of participants’ self-reporting of olfactory function (SOF) and gustatory function (SGF) using extended objective psychophysical testing are missing.MethodsIn this population-based cohort study in a PCR-tested community in Thuringia, Germany, olfactory function was extensively examined 4 months after a COVID-19 outbreak using the “Sniffin Sticks” test battery to determine the TDIa score, i.e., the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination, and identification scores averaged for both nasal sides. Gustatory function was assessed using the three-drop test resulting in the gustatory composite score (CSg). The data were compared with SOF and SGF.ResultsOf 43 adult convalescents (median age: 68 years; 58% female) after SARS-CoV‑2 infection, 18 participants (42%) had olfactory complaints due to SOF, one participant (2%) complained of taste disturbance due to SGF. The TDIa was 22.0 ± 5.9. Normosmia, hyposmia, and anosmia were seen in 17, 18, and eight participants, respectively. TDIa correlated with SOF (rs = −0.434, p = 0.004); CSg was 23.5 ± 2.7. Normogeusia and hypogeusia were objectified in 39 and four participants, respectively. The prevalence of long-term olfactory dysfunction and gustatory dysfunction in the study group was 60.5 and 9.3%, respectively.ConclusionThe SOF was reliable, especially for participants who felt a sudden chemosensory dysfunction during the outbreak. At 4 months after SARS-CoV‑2 infection, a high proportion of participants were dysosmic, whereas nearly all of them had normal taste function.
Highlights
The prevalence of long-term olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in participants suffering from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown
Evaluations of the reliability of participants’ selfreporting of olfactory function (SOF) and gustatory function (SGF) using extended objective psychophysical testing are missing. In this population-based cohort study in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-tested community in Thuringia, Germany, olfactory function was extensively examined 4 months after a COVID-19 outbreak using the “Sniffin Sticks” test battery to determine the TDIa score, i.e., the sum of results obtained for threshold, discrimination, and identification scores averaged for both nasal sides
All participants were recruited from the CoNAN study cohort (Covid-19 Outbreak in Neustadt-amRennsteig), a longitudinal cohort study analyzing the course of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Neustadt-am-Rennsteig, a village in Thuringia, Germany [11]
Summary
The prevalence of long-term olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in participants suffering from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. We aimed to assess the reliability of participants’ self-rating of olfactory function (SOF) and of gustatory function (SGF) s after SARS-CoV-2 infection in comparison with validated psychophysical tests. Since infectionassociated olfactory loss is usually completely reversible, patients typically visit a physician only months or even years later and only in the exceptional case of long-term complaints [1] This appears to be different for COVID-19 convalescent participants. In these patients the sudden loss of smell and loss of taste even without further symptoms is reminiscent of a respiratory tract infection and has been reported more frequently than for other viral infections [2, 3]. The question that arises first is whether the subjectively experienced and reported sensation of an acute smell loss or taste loss is sufficient to justify the measure of a laboratory SARS-CoV-2 test and to initiate quar-
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