Gustatory Dysfunction: A Highly Specific and Smell-Independent Symptom of COVID-19

Vaira, Luigi Angelo; Lechien, Jérôme R.; Salzano, Giovanni; Salzano, Francesco Antonio; Maglitto, Fabio; Saussez, Sven; Riu, Giacomo De

doi:10.1007/s12070-020-02182-4

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Full-texts of the remaining 222 references were retrieved and screened for eligibility, and this process excluded an additional 115 references as the inclusion criteria was not met. This exclusion included articles with no access 28 , 29 , RT-PCR not clearly stated in the text 30 - 45 , case reports 46 - 97 , case seriess 98 - 113 , repeated datasetss 114 - 118 , and studies in specific groups 119 - 130 . A complete assessment was conducted for 107 references.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anosmia and dysgeusia in SARS-CoV-2 infection: incidence and effects on COVID-19 severity and mortality, and the possible pathobiology mechanisms - a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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Background: The present study aimed to determine the global prevalence of anosmia and dysgeusia in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and to assess their association with severity and mortality of COVID-19. Moreover, this study aimed to discuss the possible pathobiological mechanisms of anosmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19. Methods: Available articles from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and preprint databases (MedRxiv, BioRxiv, and Researchsquare) were searched on November 10th, 2020. Data on the characteristics of the study (anosmia, dysgeusia, and COVID-19) were extracted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used to assess research quality. Moreover, the pooled prevalence of anosmia and dysgeusia were calculated, and the association between anosmia and dysgeusia in presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was assessed using the Z test. Results: Out of 32,142 COVID-19 patients from 107 studies, anosmia was reported in 12,038 patients with a prevalence of 38.2% (95% CI: 36.5%, 47.2%); whereas, dysgeusia was reported in 11,337 patients out of 30,901 COVID-19 patients from 101 studies, with prevalence of 36.6% (95% CI: 35.2%, 45.2%), worldwide. Furthermore, the prevalence of anosmia was 10.2-fold higher (OR: 10.21; 95% CI: 6.53, 15.96, p < 0.001) and that of dysgeusia was 8.6-fold higher (OR: 8.61; 95% CI: 5.26, 14.11, p < 0.001) in COVID-19 patients compared to those with other respiratory infections or COVID-19 like illness. To date, no study has assessed the association of anosmia and dysgeusia with severity and mortality of COVID-19. Conclusion: Anosmia and dysgeusia are prevalent in COVID-19 patients compared to those with the other non-COVID-19 respiratory infections. Several possible mechanisms have been hypothesized; however, future studies are warranted to elucidate the definitive mechanisms of anosmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19. Protocol registration: PROSPERO CRD42020223204.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anosmia and dysgeusia in SARS-CoV-2 infection: incidence and effects on COVID-19 severity and mortality, and the possible pathobiology mechanisms - a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2021

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“…OD was evaluated through psychophysical testing in 21 studies. The Sniffin’Sticks’ test was the most commonly employed objective test (n=8 studies) 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 46 , 60 , 61 . Through pen-like odor dispensing devices, it assesses three olfactory functions, i.e.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review

Boscutti

Delvecchio

Pigoni

et al. 2021

Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health

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Background Among Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifestations, Olfactory (OD) and Gustatory (GD) Dysfunctions (OGD) have drawn considerable attention, becoming a sort of hallmark of the disease. Many have speculated on the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of these disturbances; however, no definite answers have been produced on the topic. With this systematic review, we aimed to collect all the available evidence regarding the prevalence of OGD, the timing of their onset and their resolution, their rate of recovery and their role as diagnostic and prognostic tools for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Methods A systematic review comprising all the observational studies that reported the prevalence and/or the longitudinal trajectories of OGD in COVID-19 patients, as self-reported by patients or measured through objective psychophysical tests. Results After the selection process, 155 studies were included, with a total of 70920 patients and 105291 not-infected individuals. Prevalence reports were extremely variable across studies, with wide ranges for OD (0% - 98%) and GD (0-89%) prevalence. OGD occurred early during the disease course and only rarely preceded other symptoms; out of 30 studies with a follow-up time of at least 20 days, only in 5 studies OGD fully resolved in more than 90% of patients. OGD had low sensitivity and high specificity for SARS-CoV-2 infection; accuracy of OD and GD for infection identification was higher than 80% in 10 out of 33 studies and in 8 out of 22 studies considered, respectively. 28 out of 30 studies that studied the association between OGD and disease severity found how OGD were associated with lower rates of severe pneumonia, hospitalization and mortality. Conclusions OGD seem to be highly prevalent in SARS-CoV-2 infection. They occur early, concomitantly with other symptoms and often persist after recovery, in some cases for months; whether a full recovery eventually occurs in all cases is not clear yet. OGD are good predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with a milder disease course.

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“…This frequency is in line with that reported in other previously published psychophysical studies. 1,3,4,7,16,18,20,21,[24][25][26] Regarding any functional recovery over time, the average olfactory score showed statistically significant improvements within two months after clinical onset. The curve then flattened without any significant improvements in the subsequent controls.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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

et al. 2021

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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.

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Gustatory Dysfunction: A Highly Specific and Smell-Independent Symptom of COVID-19

Cited by 25 publications

References 17 publications

Anosmia and dysgeusia in SARS-CoV-2 infection: incidence and effects on COVID-19 severity and mortality, and the possible pathobiology mechanisms - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Anosmia and dysgeusia in SARS-CoV-2 infection: incidence and effects on COVID-19 severity and mortality, and the possible pathobiology mechanisms - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review

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

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