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The long-term effect of COVID-19 infection on olfaction and taste; a prospective analysis
Tomer Boldes1,2, Amit Ritter3,4, Ethan Soudry3,4
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Meir Medical Center, 59 Tchernichovsky St., 4428164, Kfar Saba, Israel. Tomerboldes@gmail.com.
Purpose:
To estimate long-term prognosis of chemosensory dysfunctions among patients recovering from COVID-19 disease.
Methods:
Between April 2020 and July 2022, we conducted a prospective, observational study enrolling 48 patients who experienced smell and/or taste dysfunction during the acute-phase of COVID-19. Patients were evaluated for chemosensory function up to 24 months after disease onset.
Results:
During the acute-phase of COVID-19, 80% of patients reported anosmia, 15% hyposmia, 63% ageusia, and 33% hypogeusia. At two years' follow-up, 53% still experienced smell impairment, and 42% suffered from taste impairment. Moreover, 63% of patients who reported parosmia remained with olfactory disturbance. Interestingly, we found a negative correlation between visual analogue scale scores for smell and taste impairments during the acute-phase of COVID-19 and the likelihood of long-term recovery.
Conclusion:
Our study sheds light on the natural history and long-term follow-up of chemosensory dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID-19 disease. Most patients who initially suffered from smell and/or taste disturbance did not reach full recovery after 2 years follow-up. The severity of impairment may serve as a prognostic indicator for full recovery.
