PREVALENCE OF TASTE DISORDERS IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 INFECTION AT THE SAN LUIS GRANDE URBAN CENTER

ABSTRACT

This study aims to determine the prevalence of taste disorders in patients diagnosed positive for COVID 19 infection in the San Luis Grande urban center. For this purpose, a descriptive and cross-sectional study was designed, with a sample of 292 patients through the use of surveys. Through the analysis of the data collected, the presence of several types of taste disorders was observed in the sample analyzed, with a prevalence of ageusia in the study sample. The results suggest that hypogeusia occurred suddenly in 53.3% of the cases reported, while ageusia and dysgeusia appear as symptoms mostly between the first and third day (56.7% and 43.3% respectively). It was also observed that the disorders analyzed had a predominant duration of 8 to 15 days. On the other hand, there was a predominance of reported cases of ageusia (48.03%) in the age groups 18 to 35, a prevalence of cases of hypogeusia in the age groups 36 to 55, while in the age range 56 to 70 there was a predominance of dysgeusia (31.67%).