Analysis of Prevalence and Predictive Factors of Long-Lasting Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 1256
• Main Authors: Callejón-Leblic, María A., Martín-Jiménez, Daniel I., Moreno-Luna, Ramón, Palacios-Garcia, Jose M., Alvarez-Cendrero, Marta, Vizcarra-Melgar, Julissa A., Fernandez-Velez, Carlos, Reyes-Tejero, Isabel M., Maza-Solano, Juan, Gonzalez-Garcia, Jaime, Tena-García, Beatriz, Acosta-Mosquera, María E., Del Cuvillo, Alfonso, Sánchez-Gómez, Serafín
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 17.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: anosmia; Asthma; Chemoreception; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Data analysis; Diabetes; Dyspnea; Infections; Machine learning; Olfaction; olfactory disorders; parosmia; prediction model; Psychophysics; Questionnaires; Recovery; Recovery (Medical); Rhinitis; Self report; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Sinusitis; Smell; smell disorders; Subgroups; Taste; Variables; United States > US; Spain
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life12081256

Background: Although smell and taste disorders are highly prevalent symptoms of COVID-19 infection, the predictive factors leading to long-lasting chemosensory dysfunction are still poorly understood. Methods: 102 out of 421 (24.2%) mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients completed a second questionnaire about the evolution of their symptoms one year after the infection using visual analog scales (VAS). A subgroup of 69 patients also underwent psychophysical evaluation of olfactory function through UPSIT. Results: The prevalence of chemosensory dysfunction decreased from 82.4% to 45.1% after 12 months, with 46.1% of patients reporting a complete recovery. Patients older than 40 years (OR = 0.20; 95% CI: [0.07, 0.56]) and with a duration of loss of smell longer than four weeks saw a lower odds ratio for recovery (OR = 0.27; 95% CI: [0.10, 0.76]). In addition, 28 patients (35.9%) reported suffering from parosmia, which was associated with moderate to severe taste dysfunction at the baseline (OR = 7.80; 95% CI: [1.70, 35.8]). Among the 69 subjects who underwent the UPSIT, 57 (82.6%) presented some degree of smell dysfunction, showing a moderate correlation with self-reported VAS (r = −0.36, p = 0.0027). Conclusion: A clinically relevant number of subjects reported persistent chemosensory dysfunction and parosmia one year after COVID-19 infection, with a moderate correlation with psychophysical olfactory tests.