Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2025
04:00
Author Spotlight: Assessing the Olfactory Effects of Airborne Pollutants — Buried Food and Social Odor Tests
Published on: September 13, 2024
900
The effect of post-COVID-19 on gustatory and olfactory function: A preliminary case-controlled study.
Dror Livni1, Osnat Grinstein-Koren1, Ayelet Zlotogorski-Hurvitz1
1Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Imaging, Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University Israel, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Oral Diseases
|March 17, 2023
Summary
Post-COVID-19 infection (PCI) often involves persistent smell and taste complaints. Objective testing reveals significant olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in PCI patients, frequently differing from subjective reports.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Otolaryngology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are reported symptoms following COVID-19 infection.
- Understanding the objective and subjective nature of these post-COVID-19 symptoms is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze objective and subjective olfactory and gustatory function in individuals with post-COVID-19 infection (PCI).
Main Methods:
- Compared 42 PCI subjects with persistent complaints to 41 healthy controls.
- Assessed olfactory threshold and identification, and gustatory detection, identification, and magnitude scaling.
Main Results:
- PCI subjects reported combined olfactory/gustatory dysfunction more frequently than controls.
- Objective testing revealed significantly higher rates of hyposmia, anosmia, and hypogeusia in PCI patients.
- A low agreement was observed between subjective complaints and objective findings for olfactory and gustatory functions.
Conclusions:
- Subjective complaints of combined olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in PCI do not always align with objective testing results.
- Abnormal objective findings across multiple olfactory and gustatory functions may indicate central nervous system involvement in PCI.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
9.4K
The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
9.4K
01:20Taste Buds and Receptors
2.3K
Gustation, or the sense of taste, is intrinsically linked to the anatomical structures located on the tongue. This organ's surface, along with the entirety of the oral cavity, is adorned with stratified squamous epithelium. Evident on the tongue are elevated structures known as papillae (singular = papilla), which house the mechanisms for the transduction of gustatory stimuli. Four distinct types of papillae exist, each identified by their unique morphological attributes: the circumvallate,...
2.3K
01:20Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway
8.9K
Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
The olfactory...
8.9K
01:24The Physiology of Taste
4.1K
The perception of a salty flavor is facilitated by sodium ions within the oral salivary fluid. Upon consumption of a salty substance, salt crystals disassemble, leading to the liberation of its constituents—Na+ and Cl- ions. These ions subsequently dissolve into the salivary fluid present in the oral cavity. The external environment of the gustatory cells experiences an elevation in Na+ concentration, thereby establishing a potent concentration gradient. This gradient propels the...
4.1K
01:43Gustation
48.4K
Gustation is a chemical sense that, along with olfaction (smell), contributes to our perception of taste. It starts with the activation of receptors by chemical compounds (tastants) dissolved in the saliva. The saliva and filiform papillae on the tongue distribute the tastants and increase their exposure to the taste receptors.
48.4K
01:25Olfaction
44.7K
The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
44.7K