Kouris Elena Camelia, Mirea Sînziana Irina, Covaci Sigrid, Luminos Monica Luminița, Miron Victor Daniel
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.
National Institute of Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Balș", 021105 Bucharest, Romania.
Pathogens. 2025 Mar 21;14(4):300. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14040300.
Dysgeusia has been regarded as a clinical feature associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection since the onset of the pandemic. The initial circulating variants were linked to the presence of dysgeusia; however, with the emergence of the Omicron variant, the incidence of dysgeusia has decreased. The aim of this study was to identify the incidence and characteristics of patients with dysgeusia from the onset of the pandemic to the Omicron variant. We conducted a retrospective study from March 2020 to December 2021, among adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the main infectious diseases hospital in Romania. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and interpreted in relation to the presence or absence of dysgeusia. The incidence of dysgeusia was 32.0%, with the majority of cases (44.2%) occurring in patients with the Beta SARS-CoV-2 variant. Dysgeusia has been predominantly observed in mild to moderate cases of the disease. The presence of obesity and hypertension has been shown to be negatively associated with the development of dysgeusia (OR = 0.45, OR = 0.39, respectively). In patients with dysgeusia, inflammatory changes such as lymphopenia were significantly less frequently identified (OR = 0.22, < 0.001), as were increased C-reactive protein (OR = 0.12, < 0.001) and increased interleukin-1 (OR = 0.42, = 0.002), increased fibrinogen (OR = 0.31, < 0.001), and increased ferritin (OR = 0.27, < 0.001) compared to patients without dysgeusia. The incidence of acute respiratory failure was higher in the dysgeusia group (71.2% vs. 28.8%, < 0.001). This was accompanied by a milder management of patients with dysgeusia and a median duration of hospitalization that was two days shorter. : The presence or absence of dysgeusia in patients with COVID-19 appears to correlate with both the inflammatory response and outcome. In the context of evolving circulating viral variants, which seem to be associated with a lower incidence of dysgeusia, continuous monitoring of patients who develop this disorder remains essential to clarify the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved and to assess the potential of dysgeusia as a predictor of the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
自大流行开始以来，味觉障碍一直被视为与新型冠状病毒感染相关的临床特征。最初的流行毒株与味觉障碍的出现有关；然而，随着奥密克戎变异株的出现，味觉障碍的发生率有所下降。本研究的目的是确定自大流行开始至奥密克戎变异株出现期间味觉障碍患者的发生率和特征。我们对2020年3月至2021年12月期间在罗马尼亚主要传染病医院住院的成年新冠肺炎患者进行了一项回顾性研究。收集并解读了与味觉障碍存在与否相关的临床和实验室数据。味觉障碍的发生率为32.0%，大多数病例（44.2%）发生在感染贝塔新型冠状病毒变异株的患者中。味觉障碍主要在该疾病的轻度至中度病例中观察到。肥胖和高血压的存在已被证明与味觉障碍的发生呈负相关（OR分别为0.45和0.39）。在有味觉障碍的患者中，淋巴细胞减少等炎症变化的发生率显著较低（OR = 0.22，<0.001），C反应蛋白升高（OR = 0.12，<0.001）、白细胞介素-1升高（OR = 0.42，= 0.002）、纤维蛋白原升高（OR = 0.31，<0.001）和铁蛋白升高（OR = 0.27，<0.001）的情况也较无味觉障碍的患者少。味觉障碍组急性呼吸衰竭的发生率更高（71.2%对28.8%，<0.001）。这伴随着对有味觉障碍患者的治疗较为温和，住院时间中位数短两天。新冠肺炎患者味觉障碍的存在与否似乎与炎症反应和预后均相关。在不断演变的流行病毒变异株背景下，这些变异株似乎与较低的味觉障碍发生率相关，持续监测出现这种病症的患者对于阐明其中涉及的病理生理机制以及评估味觉障碍作为新型冠状病毒感染病程预测指标的潜力仍然至关重要。
