Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients from Northern India: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) and gustatory dysfunction (GD) has been reported as one of the presenting symptoms amongst COVID-19 patients. However the literature available is disjunct on this aspect. This study is conducted to identify the prevalence of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction in patients with coronavirus disease in Northern part of India. It's a cross-sectional observation study, conducted over 387 COVID-19 positive patients, at ENT dept of tertiary care hospital. A retrospective survey was conducted using a pre designed questionnaire and details of Olfactory and Gustatory dysfunction was collected. The patient's demographic details, disease course and recovery time for olfactory (OD) and/or gustatory dysfunctions (GD) were collected. A total of 387 patients with COVID-19 completed the study. 228 (58.9%) patients suffered from influenza like illness (ILI) (fever, sore throat, dry cough, malaise, and myalgia). There was significant positive association seen between with ILI and OD and / or GD. 167/387 (43.15%) patients reported OD, and 153/387 (39.53%) reported GD. 43.71% and 50.3% patients had mild OD & GD respectively. Recovery rates for both OD and GD are high and almost similar, with 161 (96.4%) and 148 (96.73%) patients had complete recovery of smell and taste. Maximum recovery was noticed between 4 and 6 weeks. COVID-19 patients with habits have significantly high probability of developing OD &/or GD. There is a significant correlation between OD and GD and there is high probability that patients who reported to have OD will also have GD or vice versa. Prevalence of OD and GD in Indian population may not be as high as mentioned in western literature, however, both are frequent and early symptoms of COVID-19. Recent onset of these should be considered as red flag symptoms for COVID-19.