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Updated: Dec 18, 2025

A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
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Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction as an Early Identifier of COVID-19 in Adults and Children: An International

Chenghao Qiu1, Chong Cui2,3, Charlotte Hautefort4

  • 1Center of Stomatology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China.

Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery : Official Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
|June 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are common in COVID-19 patients, sometimes appearing before other symptoms. These sensory changes can aid in early detection of the virus.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neurology
  • Otolaryngology

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic.
  • Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are reported symptoms in COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and characteristics of smell and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 patients.
  • To assess the potential of these dysfunctions as early screening criteria for COVID-19.

Main Methods:

  • A multicenter case series involving 394 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 patients across China, Germany, and France.
  • Utilized the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD) and visual analog scale (VAS) for data collection.
  • Included objective olfactory testing for a subset of patients.

Main Results:

  • 161 out of 394 (41%) patients reported olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction.
  • Incidence varied by region: 32% in China, 69% in Germany, 49% in France.
  • 19% experienced sensory complaints before other COVID-19 symptoms; 10% of those with normal subjective olfaction had objective deficits.

Conclusions:

  • Smell and taste disorders can be early or isolated symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.
  • These sensory dysfunctions may serve as valuable additional screening criteria for early COVID-19 identification.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19COVID-19 screeningSARS-CoV-2anosmiadysgeusiagustatory dysfunctionolfactory dysfunction

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