Europe PMC

This website requires cookies, and the limited processing of your personal data in order to function. By using the site you are agreeing to this as outlined in our privacy notice and cookie policy.

Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients: Prevalence and Prognosis for Recovering Sense of Smell.

Author information

Affiliations

  • 1. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Santa Croce Hospital AORMN, Fano-Pesaro, Italy.
      Authors
    • D'Ascanio L 1
    • Pandolfini M 1
    • Cingolani C 1
    • Latini G 1
    • Gradoni P 1
    (5 authors)
  • 2. AORMN, Pesaro, Italy.
      Authors
    • Capalbo M 2
    (1 author)
  • 3. Internal Medicine Department "Santa Croce Hospital" AORMN, Fano, Italy.
      Authors
    • Frausini G 3
    (1 author)
  • 4. Division of Oral and Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Manchester University Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
      Authors
    • Maranzano M 4
    (1 author)
  • 5. Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
      Authors
    • Brenner MJ 5
    (1 author)
    • Show all (6)

ORCIDs linked to this article

Otolaryngology--head and Neck Surgery : Official Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-head and Neck Surgery, 14 Jul 2020, 164(1):82-86
https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820943530 PMID: 32662745 

Abstract 

While olfactory dysfunction associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has attracted considerable interest, few studies have tracked outcomes at serial time points or beyond 2 weeks. Furthermore, data are conflicting regarding whether COVID-19 severity correlates with degree of olfactory dysfunction. This prospective case-control study analyzed prevalence and severity of subjective loss of smell in outpatients (n = 23) and inpatients (n = 20) with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection vs healthy controls (n = 25). Olfactory dysfunction was reported more commonly in COVID-19 patients than in healthy controls (P < .001), and outpatients paradoxically reported loss of smell more commonly than inpatients (P = .02). Headaches were present in 52% of patients with olfactory dysfunction. Anosmia or hyposmia persisted beyond 5 days but most of the patients recovered by 30 days, suggesting favorable prognosis for olfaction. Differences between inpatients and outpatients are potentially reflective of timeline of olfactory symptoms and contextual factors, underscoring the importance of corroborative objective testing, coupled with careful tracking of temporal relationships.

Full text links 

Read article at publisher's site: https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820943530

Citations & impact 

Impact metrics

56
Citations
Jump to Citations

Citations of article over time

Alternative metrics

Altmetric item for https://www.altmetric.com/details/87974578
Altmetric
Discover the attention surrounding your research
https://www.altmetric.com/details/87974578

Article citations

Go to all (56) article citations

Similar Articles 

To arrive at the top five similar articles we use a word-weighted algorithm to compare words from the Title and Abstract of each citation.