Smell Recovery after COVID-19: 6-Month Follow-Up with Objective Evaluation

Year 2022, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 7 - 11, 01.04.2022

Nihal Seden Boyoğlu , Enes Yiğit , Ayşe Pelin Yiğider İsmail Kaygısız Özgür Yiğit

Abstract

Background: We evaluated the long-term recovery rate of coronavirus disease 2019-related olfactory disorders.

Methods: Patients who had been diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 and had olfactory disorders due to coronavirus disease 2019 were included in the study. The odor threshold was tested using a modification of the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center olfactory function test. Patients who had anosmia or hyposmia during the illness were summoned to the hospital to undergo the second odor threshold test, 6 months after the first diagnosis date.

Results: Thirty-five patients (21 females and 14 males) participated in this study. The mean age was 52.83 ± 16.40 years. The mean odor threshold results for the first day and sixth month were 2.46±1.62 and 4.74±0.78, respectively. The mean odor gain score was 2.29±1.5. Gender, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results, and the presence of pneumonia were compared according to their average olfactory gain, and no statistically significant difference was found. The olfactory gain score was higher in those without cough complaints (P = .039) and those with
taste loss complaints (P = .044). Other complaints (odor loss, fever, headache, dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, myalgia, palpitation, joint pain, and back pain) had no effect on the olfactory gain score. No significant correlation was found between olfactory gain and age (P = .755).

Conclusions: Few patients with odor dysfunction returned to the “normal” limits. The remainder of the group performed better in odor function; none of the patients had ongoing anosmia.

Keywords

COVID-19 , anosmia , smell , olfaction disorders , polymerase chain reaction

References

• Vaira LA, Deiana G, Fois AG, et al. Objective evaluation of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 patients: single-center experience on 72 cases. Head Neck. 2020;42(6):1252-1258.
• Vaira LA, Hopkins C, Salzano G, et al. Olfactory and gustatory function impairment in COVID-19 patients: Italian objective multicenter study. Head Neck. 2020;42(7):1560-1569.
• Lechien JR, Chiesa-Estomba CM, De Siati DR, et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;277(8):2251-2261.
• Speth MM, Singer-Cornelius T, Oberle M, Gengler I, Brockmeier SJ, Sedaghat AR. Olfactory dysfunction and sinonasal symptomatology in COVID-19: prevalence, severity, timing, and associated characteristics. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;163(1):114-120.
• Yan CH, Faraji F, Prajapati DP, Boone CE, DeConde AS. Association of chemosensory dysfunction and COVID-19 in patients presenting with influenza-like symptoms. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020;10(7):806-813.
• Moein ST, Hashemian SM, Mansourafshar B, Khorram-Tousi A, Tabarsi P, Doty RL. Smell dysfunction: a biomarker for COVID-19. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020;10(8):944-950.
• Lechien JR, Cabaraux P, Chiesa-Estomba CM, et al. Objective olfactory evaluation of self-reported loss of smell in a case series of 86 COVID-19 patients. Head Neck. 2020;42(7):1583-1590.
• Seden N, Yiğit E, Yiğit Ö, Kaygısız İ. Objective evaluation of odor loss in COVID-19 and other suspected cases. Am J Otolaryngol. 2021;42(1):102761.
• Vaira LA, Salzano G, Deiana G, De Riu G. Anosmia and ageusia: common findings in COVID-19 patients. Laryngoscope. 2020;130(7):1787.
• Xydakis MS, Dehgani-Mobaraki P, Holbrook EH, et al. Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(9):1015-1016.
• Hopkins C, Surda P, Kumar N. Presentation of new onset anosmia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhinology. 2020;58(3):295-298.
• Amer MA, Elsherif HS, Abdel-Hamid AS, Elzayat S. Early recovery patterns of olfactory disorders in COVID-19 patients; a clinical cohort study. Am J Otolaryngol. 2020;41(6):102725.
• Hopkins C, Surda P, Whitehead E, Kumar BN. Early recovery following new onset anosmia during the COVID-19 pandemic - an observational cohort study. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;49(1):26.
• Kosugi EM, Lavinsky J, Romano FR, et al. Incomplete and late recovery of sudden olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;86(4):490-496.
• Panda S, Mohamed A, Sikka K, et al. Otolaryngologic manifestation and longterm outcome in mild COVID-19: experience from a tertiary care centre in India. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021;73(1):72-77.
• Chiesa-Estomba CM, Lechien JR, Radulesco T, et al. Patterns of smell recovery in 751 patients affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Eur J Neurol. 2020;27(11):2318-2321.
• Konstantinidis I, Delides A, Tsakiropoulou E, Maragoudakis P, Sapounas S, Tsiodras S. Short-term follow-up of self-isolated COVID-19 patients with smell and taste dysfunction in Greece: two phenotypes of recovery. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2020;82(6):295-303.
• Le Bon SD, Pisarski N, Verbeke J, et al. Psychophysical evaluation of chemosensory functions 5 weeks after olfactory loss due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study on 72 patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021;278(1):101-108.
• Iannuzzi L, Salzo AE, Angarano G, et al. Gaining back what is lost: recovering the sense of smell in mild to moderate patients after COVID-19. Chem Senses. 2020;45(9):875-881.
• Vaira LA, Hopkins C, Petrocelli M, et al. Smell and taste recovery in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a 60-day objective and prospective study. J Laryngol Otol. 2020;134(8):703-709.
• Otte MS, Eckel HNC, Poluschkin L, Klussmann JP, Luers JC. Olfactory dysfunction in patients after recovering from COVID-19. Acta Otolaryngol. 2020;140(12):1032-1035.
• Cain WS, Gent JF, Goodspeed RB, Leonard G. Evaluation of olfactory dysfunction in the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center. Laryngoscope. 1988;98(1):83-88.
• Veyseller B, Ozucer B, Karaaltin AB, et al. Connecticut (CCCRC) olfactory test: normative values in 426 healthy volunteers. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2014;66(1):31-34.
• Pellegrino R, Cooper KW, Di Pizio A, Joseph PV, Bhutani S, Parma V. Corona viruses and the chemical senses: past, present, and future. Chem Senses. 2020;45(6):415-422.
• Nguyen DT, Rumeau C, Gallet P, Jankowski R. Olfactory exploration: state of the art. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2016;133(2):113-118.
• Hannum ME, Ramirez VA, Lipson SJ, et al. Objective sensory testing methods reveal a higher prevalence of olfactory loss in COVID-19 positive patients compared to subjective methods: a systematic review and meta-analysis [pre-print] . Chemical Senses. 2020.07.04.20145870.