RESUMO
Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship of olfactory disorder with headache and laboratory findings in COVID-19 patients admitted to the emergency room with hyposmia-anosmia. Methods: Sixty-three patients admitted to the emergency room and diagnosed as COVID-19 according to WHO guidelines were included in the study. Medical records, laboratory findings and radiological findings were examined and then phone calls were made for additional data. Sociodemographic characteristics and emergency room symptoms at the time of admission of all patients testing positive for COVID-19 were evaluated. Neurological problems were assessed under two categories: Headache and olfactory disorders. The severity of the headache was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) and the duration of headache and time taken for resolution was recorded. In addition, the duration of the hyposmia-anosmia and its improvement time, starting from the COVID-19 symptoms, was recorded. Results: Twenty four (38%) presented with hyposmia-anosmia symptoms at the emergency room, while 39 (62%) patients had no symptoms of hyposmia-anosmia. Thirty three (52.4%) had a headache. Headache incidence and headache improvement time (days) in COVID-19 patients with olfactory impairment were significantly higher than in COVID-19 patients without olfactory complaints (p=0.002, p= 0.019). In addition, there was a correlation between the mean hyposmia-anosmia improvement time and headache improvement time (days) in the group presenting with olfactory impairment (r=0.81, p=0.001). Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of the relationship between headache and olfactory impairment in COVID-19 patients.