Self-reported olfactory function according to the severity of COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Establishing a relationship between COVID-19 severity and olfactory dysfunction may be beneficial in patient follow-up. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between self-reported olfactory dysfunction and the clinical stages of COVID-19.
 Methods: The patients included in this study were divided into three groups according to the severity of the novel coronavirus disease as mild, severe, and critical (life-threatening) patients. Patients were then contacted by phone and asked questions with the help of structured questionnaires that evaluated their general status, sense of smell, taste and compared the data within the three groups.
 Results: Among the 144 subjects evaluated in the present study (mild, n = 60; moderate, n = 61, severe, n = 23), 70 of the participants were males, and 74 were females. The findings showed that olfactory loss was the most prominent feature of the COVID-19's mild clinical course and the majority of the patients with loss of smell were female and young patients.
 Conclusion: The findings obtained from clinically mild cases suggest that more olfactory dysfunction, indicating that the effects of viral load alone, is not decisive for olfactory dysfunction.