Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 5, 2025

Taste Exam: A Brief and Validated Test
Published on: August 17, 2018
[Smell and taste in CoViD-19 patients: the forgotten sense.]
Paolo Gamba1, Alberto Zaniboni2
1Dipartimento Testa-Collo, UOC Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Fondazione Poliambulanza, Istituto Ospedaliero di Brescia.
Aim:
The aim of the retrospective study is to determine whether CoViD-19 positive patients with olfactory and gustatory dysfunction have the ability to recover chemoreceptorial loss, unlike other viral and inflammatory diseases in which the damage is partial and in some cases is permanent.
Materials And Methods:
The study examined 75 patients admitted, from March to April 2020, at the Poliambulanza Foundation with CoViD-19. In 53 out of 75 patients, chest X-rays were positive for infiltration and/or pleural effusion. Two weeks after discharge, two rhinopharyngeal swabs were performed with negative results for CoViD-19. Enlisted patients responded to a questionnaire, upon informed consent, called the Questionnaire for Olfactory Dysfunction (QOD) which evaluates the severity of the disorder and social impact. In the second phase of the study we carefully researched the recovery times of olfactory dysfunction and dysgeusia.
Results And Conclusions:
The analysis of the scores of the Olfactory Dysfunction Questionnaire CoViD-19 (QOD) recorded the total recovery in all patients of olfactory and gustatory function with an average time of 17.4 days. This study reveals that Coronavirus does not cause a permanent olfactory and gustatory loss. The olfactory and gustatory impairment has been recognized as a distinctive sign of CoViD-19, but should not be considered as a favorable prognostic index.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Taste Buds and Receptors
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
Gustation
Tactile and Chemical Senses
Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
The olfactory...
The Physiology of Taste

