Smell and Taste Dysfunction in COVID-19 Is Associated With Younger Age in Ambulatory Settings: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Since the initial anecdotal reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from China, a growing number of studies have reported on smell and/or taste dysfunction (STD). Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency and severity of STD in COVID-19 patients and to evaluate the association with demographic characteristics, hospital admission, symptoms, comorbidities, and blood biomarkers. METHODS: We performed a multicenter cross-sectional study on patients who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 (n=846) and controls (n=143) from 15 Spanish hospitals. Data on STD were collected prospectively using an in-person survey. The severity of STD was categorized using a visual analog scale. We analyzed time to onset, recovery rate, time to recovery, hospital admission, pneumonia, comorbidities, smoking, and symptoms. RESULTS: STD was at least 2-fold more common in COVID-19-positive patients than in controls. COVID-19-positive hospitalized patients were older, with a lower frequency of STD, and recovered earlier than outpatients. Analysis stratified by severity of STD showed that more than half of COVID-19 patients presented severe loss of smell (53.7%) or taste (52.2%); both senses were impaired in >90%. In the multivariate analysis, older age (>60 years), being hospitalized, and increased C-reactive protein were associated with a better sense of smell and/or taste. COVID-19-positive patients reported improvement in smell (45.6%) and taste (46.1%) at the time of the survey; in 90.6% this was within 2 weeks of infection. CONCLUSION: STD is a common symptom in COVID-19 and presents mainly in young and nonhospitalized patients. More studies are needed to evaluate follow-up of chemosensory impairment.

Smell and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 is associated with younger age in ambulatory settings: a multicenter cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Since the initial anecdotal reports of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from China, a growing number of studies have reported on smell and/or taste dysfunction (STD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency and severity of STD in COVID-19 patients and to evaluate the association with demographic characteristics, hospital admission, symptoms, comorbidities, and blood biomarkers. METHODS: We performed a multicenter cross-sectional study on patients who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 (n=846) and controls (n=143) from 15 Spanish hospitals. Data on STD were collected prospectively using an in-person survey. The severity of STD was categorized using a visual analog scale. We analyzed time to onset, recovery rate, time to recovery, hospital admission, pneumonia, comorbidities, smoking, and symptoms. RESULTS: STD was at least 2-fold more common in COVID-19-positive patients than in controls. COVID-19-positive hospitalized patients were older, with a lower frequency of STD, and recovered earlier than outpatients. Analysis stratified by severity of STD showed that more than half of COVID-19 patients presented severe loss of smell (53.7%) or taste (52.2%); both senses were impaired in >90%. In the multivariate analysis, older age (>60 years), being hospitalized, and increased C-reactive protein were associated with a better sense of smell and/or taste. COVID-19-positive patients reported improvement in smell (45.6%) and taste (46.1%) at the time of the survey; in 90.6% this was within 2 weeks of infection. CONCLUSION: STD is a common symptom in COVID-19 and presents mainly in young and nonhospitalized patients. More studies are needed to evaluate follow-up of chemosensory impairment

INTRODUCCIÓN: Desde los informes anecdóticos iniciales de China sobre la enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), ha habido un número creciente de estudios que describen disfunción del olfato y/o del gusto (DOG). OBJETIVO: El objetivo fue investigar la frecuencia y la gravedad de la DOG en pacientes con COVID-19 y evaluar su asociación con características demográficas, ingreso hospitalario, síntomas, comorbilidades y biomarcadores sanguíneos. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal multicéntrico en pacientes con SARS-CoV-2 positivo (n=846) y controles (n=143) de 15 hospitales españoles. Los datos de DOG fueron recopilados de manera prospectiva con una encuesta realizada en persona. La gravedad de la DOG se clasificó por escala visual analógica. Se analizaron el tiempo de aparición de DOG, tasa de recuperación, tiempo de recuperación, ingreso hospitalario, diagnóstico de neumonía, comorbilidades, tabaquismo y síntomas. RESULTADOS: La DOG fue al menos 2 veces más común en pacientes COVID-19 en comparación con los controles. Los pacientes hospitalizados con COVID-19 eran mayores, presentaban una menor frecuencia de DOG y se recuperaron antes que los pacientes ambulatorios. El análisis estratificado por gravedad de la DOG mostró que más de la mitad de los sujetos con COVID-19 presentaron pérdida severa del olfato (53,7%) o del gusto (52,2%), en> 90% este deterioro fue de ambos sentidos. En el análisis multivariante, una edad mayor (>60 años), ser hospitalizado y un mayor nivel de proteína C reactiva fueron factores asociados con un mejor sentido del olfato y/o sabor. Los pacientes positivos para COVID-19 informaron una mejoría del olfato (45,6%) y del gusto (46,1%) en el momento de la encuesta, de ellos, un 90,6% en menos de dos semanas después de la infección. CONCLUSIÓN: DOG es un síntoma común en COVID-19, y principalmente presente en pacientes jóvenes y no hospitalizados. Se necesitan más estudios para evaluar el seguimiento de la discapacidad quimio-sensorial