Subjective Perception of Recovery and Measured Olfactory Function in COVID-19 Patients

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Contributors

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate self-rated olfactory dysfunction in relation to measured olfactory function after partial or complete subjective recovery in individuals with a history of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. A total of 186 individuals (aged 5–62 years) with a history of COVID-19 infection were included. Visual analogue scale (VAS) ratings for olfactory function (before, during, and after infection) and age-appropriate psychophysical olfactory test scores (odor threshold and odor identification: “Sniffin’ Sticks” for adults and both “Sniffin’ Sticks” and “U-Sniff” for children) were determined. Participants were assigned to four “age groups” and three “recovery classes” (incomplete recovery, complete recovery, no smell loss). Surprisingly, there were no significant differences in odor threshold and adult identification scores between the “recovery classes”. However, children with “incomplete recovery” had lower identification scores than those with “complete recovery” (p = 0.033) and those with “no smell loss” (p = 0.022). The pediatric age groups had significantly higher VAS ratings during and after COVID-19 compared to older participants. Older individuals experienced greater magnitude of changes in their sense of smell after COVID-19 infection, but those with parosmia were 3.5 times more likely to report “incomplete recovery" of olfaction after COVID-19. The general prognosis for olfactory recovery after COVID-19 is good but appears to be particularly confounded by the presence of parosmia, leading patients to subjectively report incomplete olfactory recovery. Although it is of high significance to monitor recovery using validated psychophysical olfactory tests, subjective measures of olfaction help provide specific insight, especially for qualitative olfactory dysfunction.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number1418
Number of pages9
JournalViruses
Volume15 (2023)
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jun 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37515106
ORCID /0000-0001-6711-7359/work/146164570
ORCID /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/146645741

Keywords

Subject groups, research areas, subject areas according to Destatis

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • COVID-19, olfaction disorders, parosmia, self-report, sensory threshold, smell, Cross-Sectional Studies, Sensory Thresholds, Humans, Anosmia, Smell, Olfaction Disorders/diagnosis, Adult, Child