tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
. 2020 Jun 16;194599820934376.
doi: 10.1177/0194599820934376. Online ahead of print.
Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction as an Early Identifier of COVID-19 in Adults and Children: An International Multicenter Study
Chenghao Qiu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chong Cui[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Charlotte Hautefort[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Antje Haehner[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jun Zhao[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Qi Yao[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hui Zeng[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Eric J Nisenbaum[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Li Liu[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yu Zhao[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Di Zhang[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Corinna G Levine[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Ivette Cejas[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Qi Dai[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Mei Zeng[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Philippe Herman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Clement Jourdaine[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Katja de With[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Julia Draf[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bing Chen[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Dushyantha T Jayaweera[SUP] 14 [/SUP], James C Denneny 3rd[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Roy Casiano[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hongmeng Yu[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Adrien A Eshraghi[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Thomas Hummel[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xuezhong Liu[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Yilai Shu[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Hongzhou Lu[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Study design: Multicenter case series.
Setting: Five tertiary care hospitals (3 in China, 1 in France, 1 in Germany).
Subjects and methods: In total, 394 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19-positive patients were screened, and those with olfactory or gustatory dysfunction were included. Data including demographics, COVID-19 severity, patient outcome, and the incidence and degree of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction were collected and analyzed. The Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD) and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to quantify olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, respectively. All subjects at 1 hospital (Shanghai) without subjective olfactory complaints underwent objective testing.
Results: Of 394 screened subjects, 161 (41%) reported olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction and were included. Incidence of olfactory and/or gustatory disorders in Chinese (n = 239), German (n = 39), and French (n = 116) cohorts was 32%, 69%, and 49%, respectively. The median age of included subjects was 39 years, 92 of 161 (57%) were male, and 10 of 161 (6%) were children. Of included subjects, 10% had only olfactory or gustatory symptoms, and 19% had olfactory and/or gustatory complaints prior to any other COVID-19 symptom. Of subjects with objective olfactory testing, 10 of 90 demonstrated abnormal chemosensory function despite reporting normal subjective olfaction. Forty-three percent (44/102) of subjects with follow-up showed symptomatic improvement in olfaction or gustation.
Conclusions: Olfactory and/or gustatory disorders may represent early or isolated symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. They may serve as a useful additional screening criterion, particularly for the identification of patients in the early stages of infection.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 screening; SARS-CoV-2; anosmia; dysgeusia; gustatory dysfunction; olfactory dysfunction.
. 2020 Jun 16;194599820934376.
doi: 10.1177/0194599820934376. Online ahead of print.
Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction as an Early Identifier of COVID-19 in Adults and Children: An International Multicenter Study
Chenghao Qiu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chong Cui[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Charlotte Hautefort[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Antje Haehner[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Jun Zhao[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Qi Yao[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Hui Zeng[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Eric J Nisenbaum[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Li Liu[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Yu Zhao[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Di Zhang[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Corinna G Levine[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Ivette Cejas[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Qi Dai[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Mei Zeng[SUP] 12 [/SUP], Philippe Herman[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Clement Jourdaine[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Katja de With[SUP] 13 [/SUP], Julia Draf[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Bing Chen[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Dushyantha T Jayaweera[SUP] 14 [/SUP], James C Denneny 3rd[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Roy Casiano[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Hongmeng Yu[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Adrien A Eshraghi[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Thomas Hummel[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Xuezhong Liu[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Yilai Shu[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Hongzhou Lu[SUP] 10 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32539586
- DOI: 10.1177/0194599820934376
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Study design: Multicenter case series.
Setting: Five tertiary care hospitals (3 in China, 1 in France, 1 in Germany).
Subjects and methods: In total, 394 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19-positive patients were screened, and those with olfactory or gustatory dysfunction were included. Data including demographics, COVID-19 severity, patient outcome, and the incidence and degree of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction were collected and analyzed. The Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD) and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to quantify olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, respectively. All subjects at 1 hospital (Shanghai) without subjective olfactory complaints underwent objective testing.
Results: Of 394 screened subjects, 161 (41%) reported olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction and were included. Incidence of olfactory and/or gustatory disorders in Chinese (n = 239), German (n = 39), and French (n = 116) cohorts was 32%, 69%, and 49%, respectively. The median age of included subjects was 39 years, 92 of 161 (57%) were male, and 10 of 161 (6%) were children. Of included subjects, 10% had only olfactory or gustatory symptoms, and 19% had olfactory and/or gustatory complaints prior to any other COVID-19 symptom. Of subjects with objective olfactory testing, 10 of 90 demonstrated abnormal chemosensory function despite reporting normal subjective olfaction. Forty-three percent (44/102) of subjects with follow-up showed symptomatic improvement in olfaction or gustation.
Conclusions: Olfactory and/or gustatory disorders may represent early or isolated symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. They may serve as a useful additional screening criterion, particularly for the identification of patients in the early stages of infection.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 screening; SARS-CoV-2; anosmia; dysgeusia; gustatory dysfunction; olfactory dysfunction.