Do Children with Previous COVID Infection Have Hyposmia?
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Published on: November 7, 2020
Beatrice R Bacon1, Francesca C Viola2, Michele M Carr2
1Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Insights
Children with a history of COVID-19 infection showed a slight decrease in odor identification abilities. Further research is needed to understand the prevalence of smell dysfunction in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Health
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- COVID-19 can affect the olfactory system.
- Subclinical olfactory dysfunction in children post-COVID-19 requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if children with a history of COVID-19 infection exhibit subclinical hyposmia (reduced sense of smell).
Main Methods:
- 260 children aged 5-17 years were recruited from a pediatric otolaryngology clinic.
- Demographic data and history of COVID-19 infection were collected.
- The Pediatric Smell Wheel (PSW) was used to assess olfactory function.
Main Results:
- Children with prior COVID-19 infection had a statistically significant lower mean PSW score (7.6) compared to those without infection (8.0).
- Previous COVID-19 infection was negatively associated with total PSW score.
- Age was positively associated with PSW score, while gender, race, nasal topical medication use, and previous nasal surgery showed no significant difference.
Conclusions:
- Children with a history of COVID-19 infection demonstrated slightly impaired odor identification compared to their peers.
- Further research is warranted to explore the incidence and impact of COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction in pediatric populations.
Objective:
Our goal was to see if children with a history of COVID infection had subclinical hyposmia.
Methods:
Consecutive patients at a pediatric otolaryngology clinic aged 5-17 years were recruited. Demographics including gender, race, use of nasal topical medications (NTM), previous nasal surgery including adenoidectomy (NSA), and previous COVID-19 infection were collected. Each child performed a test of their sense of smell using the Pediatric Smell Wheel (PSW, Sensonics Intl, USA) under the direct supervision and scores were compared.
Results:
260 children were included; mean age 10.1 years (95% CI 9.7-10.5), 128 (49.2%) female and 132 (50.8%) male. 65 (25%) used steroid nasal sprays, 100 (38.5%) had undergone adenoidectomy, and 36 (13.8%) had other nasal surgery. 120 (46.2%) had a previous COVID-19 infection. The COVID+ and COVID- groups were the same for age, gender, race, use of NTMs, and previous NSA (p > 0.05). Mean PSW score was 7.8 (95% CI 7.6-8.0), median of 8, ranging from 2 to 11. The mean PSW score was 8.0 for the COVID- group and 7.6 for the COVID+ group (p = 0.005). There was no significant difference in total PSW scores based on gender, race, use of NTMs, previous NSA. Linear regression showed previous COVID infection was significantly negatively associated with total PSW score (Beta -0.636, p = 0.006) with age significantly positively associated (Beta 0.122, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Children with a history of COVID infection performed slightly worse when identifying odors than children without a COVID history. More study into the rates of pediatric anosmia related to COVID infection is needed.
Level Of Evidence:
3 Laryngoscope, 134:901-906, 2024.
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