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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
10:42
A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Association between olfactory dysfunction and COVID-19 severity: A prospective study in a highly complex hospital in
Olenka Alcas1, Diego Saldaña1, Andy Triveño1
1Service of Otolaryngology, Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins - HNERM, Lima, Perú.
Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal
|December 15, 2021
Summary
COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction was not associated with disease severity in Peruvian adults. Smell alteration was linked to younger age, not severe illness, in this study.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Otolaryngology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Olfactory dysfunction is an early symptom of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
- Evidence suggests a link between the duration of olfaction disorders and COVID-19 severity.
- Peru, a highly affected country, requires local data on COVID-19 symptoms and severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of smell alteration in COVID-19 patients.
- To investigate the association between olfactory dysfunction and COVID-19 severity.
- To provide data from a Latin American referral hospital.
Main Methods:
- Observational, prospective cohort study.
- 179 COVID-19 patients from August to November 2020.
- Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for association analysis.
Main Results:
- 24% of patients experienced olfactory dysfunction.
- No significant association between COVID-19 severity and olfactory alteration (P = .056).
- Olfactory dysfunction was inversely associated with age (P = .002).
- COVID-19 severity was associated with older age, cough, and respiratory distress.
Conclusions:
- No association found between COVID-19 severity and olfactory dysfunction.
- Low incidence of smell alteration reported compared to other regions.
- Smell alteration was associated with younger age in this cohort.
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