Delgado-Losada María Luisa, Bouhaben Jaime, Ruiz-Huerta Claudia, Canto Marcelle V, Delgado-Lima Alice Helena
Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy Department, Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Campus de Somosaguas, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain.
Servicio de Medicina Preventiva, Hospital Universitario de la Cruz Roja, 28003 Madrid, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 9;19(9):5777. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095777.
Hospital workers have increased exposure risk of healthcare-associated infections due to the frontline nature of their work. Olfactory dysfunction is highly prevalent. The objectives for this investigation are to study the prevalence of long-lasting olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection in hospital workers during the first pandemic wave, to identify clinical characteristics and associated symptomatology, and to analyze how many patients with COVID-19 infection had developed olfactory dysfunction during infection and maintained a reduced olfactory function for approximately 10 weeks after diagnosis. Between June and July of 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out at the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja San José and Santa Adela in Madrid, Spain. One hundred sixty-four participants were included, of which 110 were patient-facing healthcare staff and 54 were non-patient-facing healthcare staff. Participants were split into three groups, according to COVID-19 diagnosis and presence of COVID-19 related olfactory symptomatology. Participants were asked to complete a structured online questionnaire along with Sniffin' Stick Olfactory Test measurements. In this study, 88 participants were confirmed for COVID-19 infection, 59 of those participants also reported olfactory symptomatology. The prevalence of COVID-19 infection was 11.35%, and the prevalence for olfactory dysfunction was 67.05%. Olfactory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection leads to long-lasting olfactory loss. Objective assessment with Sniffin' Stick Olfactory Test points to odor identification as the most affected process. Lemon, liquorice, solvent, and rose are the odors that are worst recognized. Mint, banana, solvent, garlic, coffee, and pineapple, although they are identified, are perceived with less intensity. The findings of this study confirmed a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the hospital workers.
由于工作性质处于一线，医院工作人员面临医疗保健相关感染的暴露风险增加。嗅觉功能障碍非常普遍。本调查的目的是研究在第一波疫情期间，医院工作人员中与新冠病毒感染相关的持续性嗅觉功能障碍的患病率，确定临床特征和相关症状，并分析有多少新冠病毒感染患者在感染期间出现嗅觉功能障碍，并在诊断后约10周内保持嗅觉功能减退。2020年6月至7月，在西班牙马德里的圣何塞红十字医院中心和圣阿德拉医院进行了一项横断面研究。纳入了164名参与者，其中110名是面向患者的医护人员，54名是不面向患者的医护人员。根据新冠病毒诊断和新冠病毒相关嗅觉症状的存在情况，将参与者分为三组。参与者被要求完成一份结构化的在线问卷以及嗅觉棒嗅觉测试测量。在这项研究中，88名参与者被确诊感染新冠病毒，其中59名参与者也报告有嗅觉症状。新冠病毒感染的患病率为11.35%，嗅觉功能障碍的患病率为67.05%。与新冠病毒感染相关的嗅觉功能障碍会导致长期嗅觉丧失。嗅觉棒嗅觉测试的客观评估表明，气味识别是受影响最严重的过程。柠檬、甘草、溶剂和玫瑰是最难识别的气味。薄荷、香蕉、溶剂、大蒜、咖啡和菠萝虽然能被识别，但感知强度较低。本研究结果证实了医院工作人员中新冠病毒感染的高患病率。
