Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-mzsfj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-20T16:00:32.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Six-month smell and taste recovery rates in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a prospective psychophysical study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2021

M Petrocelli ,
S Cutrupi ,
G Salzano ,
F Maglitto ,
F A Salzano ,
J R Lechien ,
S Saussez ,
P Boscolo-Rizzo ,
G De Riu  and
L A Vaira
M Petrocelli
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Italy
S Cutrupi
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Dentistry Operative Unit, Bellaria and Maggiore Hospital, AUSL of Bologna, Italy
G Salzano
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Naples Federico II, Italy
F Maglitto
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Naples Federico II, Italy
F A Salzano
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Otolaryngology Operative Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, Scuola Medica Salernitan, University of Salerno, Italy
J R Lechien
Affiliation:
Covid-19 Task Force of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological Societies, Paris, France Department of Human and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Belgium
S Saussez
Affiliation:
Covid-19 Task Force of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federation of Oto-rhino-laryngological Societies, Paris, France Department of Human and Experimental Oncology, Faculty of Medicine UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Belgium
P Boscolo-Rizzo
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy
G De Riu
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University Hospital of Sassari, Italy Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, Italy
L A Vaira*
Affiliation:
Italian Research Group on Chemosensory Disorders in Covid-19 Patients, Italy Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University Hospital of Sassari, Italy Biomedical Science Department, Biomedical Science PhD School, University of Sassari, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Luigi Angelo Vaira, Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, Viale San Pietro 43/B, Sassari 07100, Italy E-mail: lavaira@uniss.it Fax: +39 07 922 9002
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The long-term recovery rate for coronavirus disease 2019 related chemosensory disturbances has not yet been clarified.

Methods

Olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed with psychophysical tests in patients in the first seven days from coronavirus disease 2019 onset and one, two, three and six months after the first evaluation.

Results

A total of 300 patients completed the study. The improvement in olfactory function was significant at the two-month follow up. At the end of the observation period, 27 per cent of the patients still experienced a persistent olfactory disturbance, including anosmia in 5 per cent of cases. As for taste, the improvement in the psychophysical scores was significant only between the baseline and the 30-day control. At the 6-month evaluation, 10 per cent of the patients presented with a persistent gustatory disturbance with an incidence of complete ageusia of 1 per cent.

Conclusion

Six months after the onset of coronavirus disease 2019, about 6 per cent of patients still had a severe persistent olfactory or gustatory disturbance.

Keywords

COVID-19Olfaction DisorderTasteSmellAnosmiaAgeusiaSARS-CoV-2Coronavirus

Information

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 5 , May 2021 , pp. 436 - 441
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

Dr L A Vaira takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

Vaira, LA, Lechien, JR, Khalife, M, Petrocelli, M, Hans, S, Distinguin, L et al. Psychophysical evaluation of the olfactory function: European multi-center study on 774 COVID-19 patients. Pathogens 2021;10:62CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parma, V, Ohla, K, Veldhuizen, MG, Niv, MY, Kelly, CE, Bakke, AJ et al. More than smell - COVID-19 is associated with severe impairment of smell, taste, and chemesthesis. Chem Senses 2020;45:609–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Vaira, LA, De Riu, G, Cammaroto, G, Idrissi, YC et al. Epidemiological, otolaryngological, olfactory and gustatory outcomes according to the severity of COVID-19: a study of 2579 patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. Epub 2021 Jan 16Google Scholar
Spinato, G, Fabbris, C, Polesel, J, Cazzador, D, Borsetto, D, Hopkins, C et al. Alterations in smell or taste in mildly symptomatic outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. JAMA 2020;323:2089–90CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Ducarme, M, Place, S, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Khalife, M, De Riu, G et al. Objective olfactory findings in hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients. Pathogens 2020;9:627CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Journe, F, Hans, S, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Mustin, V, Beckers, E et al. Severity of anosmia as an early symptom of COVID-19 infection may predict lasting loss of smell. Front Med (Lausanne) 2020;7:582802CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chary, E, Carsuzaa, F, Trijolet, JP, Capitaine, AL, Roncato-Saberan, M, Fouet, K et al. Prevalence and recovery from olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in Covid-19 infection: a prospective multicenter study. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2020;34:686–93CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kosugi, EM, Lavinsky, J, Romano, FR, Fornazieri, MA, Luz-Matsumoto, GR, Lessa, MM et al. Incomplete and late recovery of sudden olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol 2020;86:490–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Lechien, JR, Radulesco, T, Michel, J, Sowerby, LJ, Hopkins, C et al. Patterns of smell recovery in 751 patients affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Eur J Neurol 2020;27:2318–21CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Hopkins, C, Petrocelli, M, Lechien, JR, Soma, D, Giovanditto, F et al. Do olfactory and gustatory psychophysical scores have prognostic value in COVID-19 patients? A prospective study of 106 patients. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2020;49:56CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Beckers, E, Mustin, V, Ducarme, M, Journe, F et al. Prevalence and 6-month recovery of olfactory dysfunction: a multicentre study of 1363 COVID-19 patients. J Intern Med. Epub 2021 Jan 5Google Scholar
Hopkins, C, Surda, P, Vaira, LA, Lechien, JR, Safarian, M, Saussez, S et al. Six month follow-up of self-reported loss of smell during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhinology 2021;59:26–31Google ScholarPubMed
Niklassen, AS, Draf, J, Huart, C, Hintschich, C, Bocksberger, S, Trecca, EMC et al. COVID-19: recovery from chemosensory dysfunction. A multicentre study on smell and taste. Laryngoscope. Epub 2021 Jan 6Google Scholar
Boscolo-Rizzo, P, Menegaldo, A, Fabbris, C, Spinato, G, Borsetto, D, Vaira, LA et al. High prevalence of long-term psychophysical olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19. Chem Senses. Epub 2021 Jan 8Google Scholar
Le Bon, SD, Pisarski, N, Verbeke, J, Prunier, L, Cavalier, G, Thill, MP 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;278:101–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Hopkins, C, Petrocelli, M, Lechien, JR, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Salzano, G et al. Smell and taste recovery in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a 60-day objective and prospective study. J Laryngol Otol 2020;134:703–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, DY, Lee, WH, Wee, JH, Kim, JW. Prognosis of postviral olfactory loss: follow-up study for longer than one year. Am J Rhinol Allergy 2014;28:419–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petrocelli, M, Ruggiero, F, Baietti, AM, Pandolfi, P, Salzano, G, Salzano, FA et al. Remote psycophysical evaluation of olfactory and gustatory functions in early-stage coronavirus disease 2019 patients: the Bologna experience of 300 cases. J Laryngol Otol 2020;134:571–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaira, LA, Salzano, G, Petrocelli, M, Deiana, G, Salzano, FA, De Riu, G. Validation of a self-administered olfactory and gustatory test for the remotely evaluation of COVID-19 patients in home quarantine. Head Neck 2020;42:1570–6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Deiana, G, Fois, AG, Pirina, P, Madeddu, G, De Vito, A et al. Objective evaluation of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 patients: single-center experience on 72 cases. Head Neck 2020;42:1252–8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Hopkins, C, Salzano, G, Petrocelli, M, Melis, A, Cucurullo, M et al. Olfactory and gustatory function impairment in COVID-19 patients: Italian objective multicenter-study. Head Neck 2020;42:1560–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Hopkins, C, Petrocelli, M, Lechien, JR, Cutrupi, S, Salzano, G et al. Efficacy of corticosteroid therapy in the treatment of long-lasting olfactory disorders in COVID-19 patients. Rhinology 2021;59:21–5Google ScholarPubMed
Le Bon, SD, Konopnicki, D, Pisarski, N, Prunier, L, Lechien, JR, Horoi, M. Efficacy and safety of oral corticosteroids and olfactory training in the management of COVID-19-related loss of smell. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. Epub 2021 Jan 9Google Scholar
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;163:114–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cocco, A, Amami, P, Desai, A, Voza, A, Ferreli, F, Albanese, A. Neurological features in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with smell and taste. J Neurol. Epub 2020 Aug 7Google Scholar
Vaira, LA, Lechien, JR, Salzano, G, Salzano, FA, Maglitto, F, Saussez, S et al. Gustatory dysfunction: a highly specific and smell-independent symptom of COVID-19. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Epub 2020 Sep 30Google Scholar
Whitcroft, KL, Hummel, T. Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 diagnosis and management. JAMA 2020;232:2512–15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopkins, C, Alanin, M, Philpott, C et al. Management of new onset loss of sense of smell during the COVID-19 pandemic - BRS Consensus Guidelines. Clin Otolaryngol 2021;46:16–22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Landis, BN, Konnerth, CG, Hummel, T. A study on the frequency of olfactory dysfunction. Laryngoscope 2004;114:1764–9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kondo, K, Kikuta, S, Ueha, R, Suzukawa, K, Yamasoba, T. Age-related olfactory dysfunction: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical management. Front Aging Neurosci 2020;12:208CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cho, RHW, To, ZWH, Yeung, ZWC, Tso, EYK, Fung, KSC, Chau, SKY et al. COVID-19 viral load in the severity and recovery from olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. Laryngoscope 2020;130:2680–5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lechien, JR, Michel, J, Radulesco, T, Chiesa-Estomba, CM, Vaira, LA, De Riu, G et al. Clinical and radiological evaluations of COVID-19 patients with anosmia: preliminary report. Laryngoscope 2020;130:2526–31CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Hopkins, C, Sandison, A, Manca, A, Machouchas, N, Turilli, D et al. Olfactory epithelium histopathological findings in long-term coronavirus disease 2019 related anosmia. J Laryngol Otol 2020;134:1123–7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaira, LA, Salzano, G, Fois, AG, Piombino, P, De Riu, G. Potential pathogenesis of ageusia and anosmia in COVID-19 patients. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2020;10:1103–4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Le Bon, SD, Horoi, M. Is anosmia the price to pay in an immune-induced scorched-earth policy against COVID-19? Med Hypotheses 2020;143:109881CrossRefGoogle Scholar