Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Zealand University Hospital, Koege, Denmark.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
PLoS One. 2022 Oct 3;17(10):e0275518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275518. eCollection 2022.
Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are early symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Between 20-80% of infected individuals report subjective altered sense of smell and/or taste during infection. Up to 2/3 of previously infected experience persistent olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction after 6 months. The aim of this study was to examine subjective and psychophysical olfactory and gustatory function in non-hospitalized individuals with acute COVID-19 up to 6 months after infection.
Individuals aged 18-80-years with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test no older than 10 days, were eligible. Only individuals able to visit the outpatient examination facilities were included. Gustatory function was tested with the Burgharts Taste Strips and olfactory function was examined with the Brief Smell Identifications test (Danish version). Subjective symptoms were examined through an online questionnaire at inclusion, day 30, 90 and 180 after inclusion.
Fifty-eight SARS-CoV-2 positive and 56 negative controls were included. 58.6% (34/58) of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals vs. 8.9% (5/56) of negative controls reported subjective olfactory dysfunction at inclusion. For gustatory dysfunction, 46.5% (27/58) of positive individuals reported impairment compared to 8.9% (5/56) of negative controls. In psychophysical tests, 75.9% (46/58) had olfactory dysfunction and 43.1% (25/58) had gustatory dysfunction among the SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals at inclusion. Compared to negative controls, SARS-CoV-2 infected had significantly reduced olfaction and gustation. Previously infected individuals continued to report lower subjective sense of smell 30 days after inclusion, whereafter the difference between the groups diminished. However, after 180 days, 20.7% (12/58) positive individuals still reported reduced sense of smell and taste.
Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are prevalent symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but there is inconsistency between subjective reporting and psychophysical test assessment of especially olfaction. Most individuals regain normal function after 30 days, but approximately 20% report persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction 6 months after infection.
嗅觉和味觉障碍是 SARS-CoV-2 感染的早期症状。感染人群中有 20-80%报告在感染期间出现主观的嗅觉和/或味觉改变。在感染后 6 个月，多达 2/3 的先前感染者仍持续存在嗅觉和/或味觉障碍。本研究的目的是检查急性 COVID-19 非住院个体在感染后 6 个月内的主观和心理物理嗅觉和味觉功能。
符合条件的个体为年龄在 18-80 岁之间，SARS-CoV-2 PCR 检测阳性且不超过 10 天。仅包括能够前往门诊检查设施的个体。味觉功能使用 Burgharts 味觉条进行测试，嗅觉功能使用 Brief Smell Identifications 测试（丹麦语版本）进行检查。通过在线问卷在纳入时、第 30 天、第 90 天和第 180 天检查主观症状。
纳入 58 例 SARS-CoV-2 阳性和 56 例阴性对照者。58.6%（34/58）的 SARS-CoV-2 阳性个体与 8.9%（5/56）的阴性对照者在纳入时报告有主观嗅觉障碍。味觉障碍方面，46.5%（27/58）的阳性个体与 8.9%（5/56）的阴性对照者相比存在损伤。在心理物理测试中，58 例 SARS-CoV-2 阳性个体中有 75.9%（46/58）嗅觉障碍，43.1%（25/58）味觉障碍。与阴性对照组相比，SARS-CoV-2 感染者嗅觉和味觉明显受损。先前感染者在纳入后 30 天仍继续报告嗅觉降低，此后两组之间的差异缩小。然而，在 180 天后，58 例阳性个体中有 20.7%（12/58）仍报告嗅觉和味觉减退。
嗅觉和味觉障碍是 SARS-CoV-2 感染的常见症状，但主观报告与嗅觉和味觉的心理物理测试评估之间存在不一致。大多数个体在 30 天后恢复正常功能，但约 20%的个体在感染后 6 个月报告持续的嗅觉和味觉障碍。
