Tracking smell loss to identify healthcare workers with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Weiss, J. Woodrow; Attuquayefio, Tuki; White, Elizabeth B.; Li, Fangyong; Herz, Rachel S.; White, Theresa L.; Campbell, Melissa; Geng, Bertie; Datta, Rupak; Wyllie, Anne L.; Grubaugh, Nathan D.; Casanovas‐Massana, Arnau; Muenker, M. Catherine; Moore, Adam J.; Handoko, Ryan; Iwasaki, Akiko; Martinello, Richard A.; Ko, Albert Icksang; Farhadian, Shelli

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0248025

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results are similar to those of Weiss et al . [40], who reported that although fatigue, fever and cough are significantly associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, these symptoms are a common feature of other types of respiratory infections and are thus not specific to COVID-19 and thus are less important than loss of taste and/or smell for COVID-19 surveillance [40]. Pairwise correlation analysis between the reported symptoms revealed highly significant P -values ( P< 0.001) ().…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Patients with a cough were also included among those at risk (adjusted OR=1.860).These results corroborate those of many other studies [ 28, 35–39 ].Our results are similar to those of Weiss et al . [ 40 ], who reported that although fatigue, fever and cough are significantly associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, these symptoms are a common feature of other types of respiratory infections and are thus not specific to COVID-19 and thus are less important than loss of taste and/or smell for COVID-19 surveillance [ 40 ]. Pairwise correlation analysis between the reported symptoms revealed highly significant P -values ( P< 0.001) ( Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Casablanca

Djorwe

Bousfiha

Nzoyikorera

et al. 2023

Access Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is an analytical cross-sectional study of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on data collected between 1 November 2020 and 31 March 2021 in Casablanca focusing on the disease’s epidemiological status and risk factors. A total of 4569 samples were collected and analysed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); 967 patients were positive, representing a prevalence of 21.2 % for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The mean age was 47.5±18 years, and infection was more common in young adults (<60 years). However, all age groups were at risk of COVID-19, and in terms of disease severity, the elderly were at greater risk because of potential underlying health problems. Among the clinical signs reported in this study, loss of taste and/or smell, fever, cough and fatigue were highly significant predictors of a positive COVID-19 test result (P<0.001). An assessment of the reported symptoms revealed that 27 % of COVID-19-positive patients (n=261) experienced loss of taste and/or smell, whereas only 2 % (n=72) of COVID-19-negative patients did (P<0.001). This result was consistent between univariate (OR=18.125) and multivariate (adjusted OR=10.484) logistic regression analyses, indicating that loss of taste and/or smell is associated with a more than 10-fold higher multivariate adjusted probability of a positive COVID-19 test (adjusted OR=10.48; P<0.001). Binary logistic regression model analysis based on clinical signs revealed that loss of taste and/or smell had a performance index of 0.846 with a P<0.001, confirming the diagnostic utility of this symptom for the prediction of COVID-19-positive status. In conclusion, symptom evaluation and a RT-PCR [taking into account cycle threshold (C t) values of the PCR proxy] test remain the most useful screening tools for diagnosing COVID-19. However, loss of taste/smell, fatigue, fever and cough remain the strongest independent predictors of a positive COVID-19 result.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Casablanca

Djorwe

Bousfiha

Nzoyikorera

et al. 2023

Access Microbiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Four studies (Bussiere et al, 2021 ; Weiss et al, 2021 ; Hunter et al, 2023 ; Sekine et al, 2023 ) reported using objective tests for the assessment of qualitative olfactory dysfunction.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yale Jiffy is a test based on common household items, used in the online, English, longitudinal study by Weiss et al ( 2021 ). It was originally developed for assessing smell loss in the general population.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The assessment of qualitative olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review of tools and their content validity

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThere is a lack of overview of the tools used to assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction, including parosmia and phantosmia, following COVID-19 illness. This could have an impact on the diagnosis and treatment offered to patients. Additionally, the formulations of symptoms are inconsistent and often unclear, and consensus around the wording of questions and responses is needed.Aim of studyThe aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of tools used to assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction after COVID-19, in addition to addressing the content validity (i.e., item and response formulations) of these tools.MethodsMEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched 5th of August 2022 and updated on the 25th of April 2023 to identify studies that assess qualitative olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Primary outcomes were the tool used (i.e., questionnaire or objective test) and item and response formulations. Secondary outcomes included psychometric properties, study design, and demographic variables.ResultsThe assessment of qualitative olfactory dysfunction is characterized by heterogeneity, inconsistency, and lack of validated tools to determine the presence and degree of symptoms. Several tools with overlapping and distinct features were identified in this review, of which some were thorough and detailed, while others were merely assessing the presence of symptoms as a binary measure. Item and response formulations are also inconsistent and often used interchangeably, which may lead to confusion, incorrect diagnoses, and inappropriate methods for solving the problem.ConclusionsThere is an unmet need for a reliable and validated tool for assessing qualitative olfactory dysfunction, preferably one that also captures quantitative olfactory issues (i.e., loss of smell), to ensure time-effective and specific assessment of the ability to smell. A consensus around the formulation of items and response options is also important to increase the understanding of the problem, both for clinicians, researchers, and the patient, and ultimately to provide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.Registration and protocolThe URL is https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=351621. A preregistered protocol was submitted and accepted (12.09.22) in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration number CRD42022351621.

show abstract

“…Previously, this at least partially specific symptomatology was used as an anamnestic screening tool, along with general symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, such as cough, fever, and rhinitis. Based on studies showing the strongest association of olfactory impairment with COVID-19 compared with these other symptoms [ 21 , 22 ], commercially available scratch tests have been developed to test the sense of smell in an ambulatory and simple manner and to derive a conclusion about the likelihood of COVID-19 [ 23 ]. One such test was investigated in the study presented here and evaluated for its usefulness as a screening method.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anosmia Testing as Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity; A Prospective Study under Screening Conditions

Jungbauer

Gerhards

Thiaucourt

et al. 2022

Life

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sudden onset of anosmia is a phenomenon often associated with developing COVID-19 disease and has even been described as an initial isolated symptom in individual cases. In this case-control study, we investigated the feasibility of this condition as a suitable screening test in a population at risk. We performed a prospective study with a total of 313 subjects with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. In parallel to routine PCR analysis, a modified commercial scent test was performed to objectify the presence of potential anosmia as a predictor of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Furthermore, a structured interview assessment of the participants was conducted. A total of 12.1% of the study participants had molecular genetic detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the nasopharyngeal swab. It could be demonstrated that these subjects had a significantly weaker olfactory identification performance of the scents. Further analysis of the collected data from the scent test and medical history via random forest (Boruta) algorithm showed that no improvement of the prediction power was achieved by this design. The assay investigated in this study may be suitable for screening general olfactory function. For the screening of COVID-19, it seems to be affected by too many external and internal biases and requires too elaborate and selective pre-test screening.

show abstract

Tracking smell loss to identify healthcare workers with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Casablanca

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Casablanca

The assessment of qualitative olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review of tools and their content validity

Anosmia Testing as Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity; A Prospective Study under Screening Conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About