List of Sensory Losses Caused by Covid-19 in Quality of Life

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization declared, in January 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Among the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, tiredness, ageusia and anosmia, with breathing difficulties being considered the serious effects. Several studies have shown that patients recovered from COVID-19 may continue to present sensory losses as well as other changes related to the central nervous system, constituting the post-covid syndrome. Objective: To analyze and evaluate in the literature the prevalence and impact of sensory dysfunctions caused by COVID-19 on the population's quality of life. Method: This is an integrative literature review, carried out in November 2021, in the SciELO, LILACS and PubMed databases, selecting articles published in Portuguese, in the years 2020 to 2021. The descriptors were: Ageusia, Anosmia , COVID-19, Quality of Life and Population, identifying similarities between studies that answered the guiding question: “What are the impacts of sensory losses caused by COVID-19 on quality of life?”. Results: Eighteen scientific articles that met the inclusion criteria were found and evaluated. According to the research carried out, it can be seen that cognitive and sensory changes have become much more common after COVID-19, mainly due to the loss of neurons caused by the disease. Conclusions: It is concluded that sensory losses related to SARS-CoV-2 infection have a significant biopsychosocial impact, with repercussions at a personal, social and even professional level. it is noted that these events can lead to changes in health-related quality of life, and it is extremely important to analyze the consequences of these losses.