Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA; Coastal Ear, Nose, and Throat, Neptune, NJ, USA.
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown, NY, USA.
Am J Otolaryngol. 2021 Nov-Dec;42(6):103068. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2021.103068. Epub 2021 Apr 19.
The effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) exist on a spectrum. Clinical symptoms of smell and taste dysfunction are prominent features of COVID-19. The objective of this study was to elucidate the factors associated with smell and taste dysfunction amongst hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A retrospective review of a multi-hospital health network's COVID-19 database between March and June 2020 was performed. Patients with self-reported smell or taste loss were included. Demographic information, patient comorbidities, and mortality data was obtained. There were 2892 patients included in this analysis and 117 reported smell or taste loss (4.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.4%-4.8%). The proportion of females with smell or taste loss was significantly higher than males (6.3% vs. 2.5%, P < 0.001), whereas no differences existed between ethnicity or smoking status. When compared with age of 30-40 years, the age group of 10-20 years were most likely to present with smell or taste dysfunction (odds ratio [OR] 6.59, 95% CI 1.32-26.12; P = 0.01). The majority of specific comorbidities were not associated with increased incidence of smell or taste dysfunction. Outpatient healthcare workers were more likely to present with smell or taste loss (OR 3.2, CI 1.8-5.47; P < 0.001). The mortality rate among COVID-19 patients with smell or taste dysfunction was significantly lower than those without (0% vs. 20.3%; P < 0.001). Smell or taste loss is more prevalent in women, younger age groups, and healthier individuals. It may be associated with lower mortality and a milder disease trajectory compared to the overall cohort.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的影响存在于一个范围内。嗅觉和味觉功能障碍是 COVID-19 的突出特征。本研究的目的是阐明与住院 COVID-19 患者嗅觉和味觉障碍相关的因素。对 2020 年 3 月至 6 月期间多医院健康网络的 COVID-19 数据库进行了回顾性审查。包括自我报告嗅觉或味觉丧失的患者。获得了人口统计学信息、患者合并症和死亡率数据。本分析共纳入 2892 例患者，117 例报告嗅觉或味觉丧失（4.0%，95%置信区间[CI]：3.4%-4.8%）。有嗅觉或味觉丧失的女性比例明显高于男性（6.3%比 2.5%，P<0.001），而种族或吸烟状况之间无差异。与 30-40 岁年龄组相比，10-20 岁年龄组最有可能出现嗅觉或味觉功能障碍（比值比[OR]6.59，95%CI 1.32-26.12；P=0.01）。大多数特定合并症与嗅觉或味觉功能障碍的发生率增加无关。门诊医护人员更有可能出现嗅觉或味觉丧失（OR 3.2，CI 1.8-5.47；P<0.001）。有嗅觉或味觉障碍的 COVID-19 患者的死亡率明显低于无嗅觉或味觉障碍的患者（0%比 20.3%；P<0.001）。嗅觉或味觉丧失在女性、年龄较小的人群和健康个体中更为常见。与整个队列相比，它可能与较低的死亡率和较轻的疾病轨迹相关。
