Daegu Medical Association, Daegu, Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2020 May 11;35(18):e174. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e174.
Initially, acute loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia) was not considered important symptoms for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To determine the prevalence of these symptoms and to evaluate their diagnostic significance, we (approximately 150 physicians of the Daegu Medical Association) prospectively collected data of cases of anosmia and ageusia from March 8, 2020, via telephone interview among 3,191 patients in Daegu, Korea. Acute anosmia or ageusia was observed in 15.3% (488/3,191) patients in the early stage of COVID-19 and in 15.7% (367/2,342) patients with asymptomatic-to-mild disease severity. Their prevalence was significantly more common among females and younger individuals ( = 0.01 and < 0.001, respectively). Most patients with anosmia or ageusia recovered within 3 weeks. The median time to recovery was 7 days for both symptoms. Anosmia and ageusia seem to be part of important symptoms and clues for the diagnosis of COVID-19, particularly in the early stage of the disease.
最初，急性嗅觉丧失（anosmia）和味觉丧失（ageusia）并不被认为是 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的重要症状。为了确定这些症状的患病率，并评估其诊断意义，我们（约 150 名大邱医师协会的医师）前瞻性地通过电话访谈，从 2020 年 3 月 8 日起，在韩国大邱的 3191 例患者中收集了嗅觉丧失和味觉丧失的病例数据。在 COVID-19 的早期阶段，15.3%（488/3191）的患者出现急性嗅觉丧失或味觉丧失，无症状至轻度疾病严重程度的患者中，这一比例为 15.7%（367/2342）。女性和年轻患者中这两种症状更为常见（=0.01 和 <0.001）。大多数嗅觉丧失或味觉丧失的患者在 3 周内恢复。两种症状的中位恢复时间均为 7 天。嗅觉丧失和味觉丧失似乎是 COVID-19 诊断的重要症状和线索的一部分，尤其是在疾病的早期阶段。
