Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain.
Hospital Infantil Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain.
Pediatr Neurol. 2022 Nov;136:28-33. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2022.07.006. Epub 2022 Aug 1.
Anosmia and hypogeusia are frequent symptoms in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in adults, but their incidence in children is unknown.
Describe the incidence and associated characteristics of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Descriptive study carried out by telephone survey of patients aged between five and 18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed between March and December, 2020.
Two hundred eighty Spanish patients (female: 42.2%) with a mean age of 10.4 years (±3.54, range: 5 to 17) were analyzed, 22.5% with other diseases (mostly respiratory: 11.8%). The most frequent symptoms were fever (55.36%) and neurological symptoms (45.7%). Forty-four (15.7%) were hospitalized due to the infection, in intensive care unit (ICU): 7.1%. Forty-five patients (16.1%) had anosmia and/or hypogeusia: 32 both, eight with hypogeusia only, and five with exclusively anosmia. The mean symptom duration in days for anosmia was 36.4, and for hypogeusia it was 27.6. Either symptom was the initial manifestation in 15 patients. None had anosmia/hypogeusia with no other symptoms. Anosmia/hypogeusia was related to the presence of respiratory infection, gastroenteritis, chills, odynophagia, myalgia, asthenia, and anorexia, but not severity (hospitalization/ICU admission). Cohabitation with another infected individual was associated with a higher incidence of anosmia/hypogeusia (P = 0.041) and duration of anosmia (P = 0.006). The presence of anosmia/hypogeusia in cohabitants was associated with longer duration of anosmia (P < 0.001).
The incidence of anosmia/hypogeusia in children with SARS-CoV-2 was lower than that reported in adults, although with a longer duration. Although no association was found between anosmia/hypogeusia and greater disease severity, recognition of these symptoms could help identify paucisymptomatic patients.
嗅觉和味觉减退是成人严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 （SARS-CoV-2）感染的常见症状，但在儿童中的发病率尚不清楚。
描述 SARS-CoV-2 感染儿童嗅觉和味觉功能障碍的发生率及相关特征。
对 2020 年 3 月至 12 月期间确诊的 5 至 18 岁 SARS-CoV-2 感染患者进行电话调查的描述性研究。
分析了 280 名西班牙患者（女性：42.2%），平均年龄为 10.4 岁（±3.54，范围：5 至 17），其中 22.5%有其他疾病（主要为呼吸系统疾病：11.8%）。最常见的症状是发热（55.36%）和神经系统症状（45.7%）。44 名（15.7%）因感染住院，其中 7.1%入住重症监护病房（ICU）。45 名（16.1%）患者出现嗅觉丧失和/或味觉减退：32 名两者均有，8 名仅有味觉减退，5 名仅有嗅觉丧失。嗅觉丧失的平均症状持续时间为 36.4 天，味觉减退的平均症状持续时间为 27.6 天。15 名患者的首发症状为这两种症状之一。无一例患者仅有嗅觉丧失/味觉减退而无其他症状。嗅觉丧失/味觉减退与呼吸道感染、胃肠炎、寒战、咽痛、肌痛、乏力和厌食有关，但与严重程度（住院/入住 ICU）无关。与另一名感染者同住的患者嗅觉丧失/味觉减退发生率较高（P=0.041），且嗅觉丧失持续时间较长（P=0.006）。同住者存在嗅觉丧失/味觉减退与嗅觉丧失持续时间较长有关（P<0.001）。
SARS-CoV-2 感染儿童嗅觉丧失/味觉减退的发生率低于成人，但持续时间较长。虽然嗅觉丧失/味觉减退与疾病严重程度无关联，但识别这些症状可能有助于发现症状较少的患者。
