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Published on: December 19, 2020
Exploring the Paradoxical Association Between Chest CT Pulmonary Involvement and Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19
Abdolkarim Ghadimi-Moghadam1, Saed Askari2, Mohammad Amin Ghatee3
1Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Yasuj University of Medical Sciences Yasuj Iran.
Health Science Reports
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) was common in COVID-19 patients, with a significant association found between reduced sense of smell and CT-assessed lung involvement. However, OD severity alone is not a reliable indicator of pulmonary disease.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a frequent symptom of COVID-19.
- The link between OD and the extent of lung involvement in COVID-19 patients is not well-established.
- Computed tomography (CT) scans are used to assess pulmonary involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between CT-defined pulmonary involvement and OD in COVID-19 patients.
- To determine if OD can serve as a surrogate marker for lung disease severity in COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted with 120 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients.
- Olfactory dysfunction was assessed using the CCCRC protocol.
- Pulmonary involvement was quantified using a CT lung involvement score, and associations were analyzed using chi-square testing and ANOVA.
Main Results:
- 59.2% of patients experienced hyposmia; no cases of complete anosmia were reported.
- CT-based pulmonary involvement was observed in 33.3% of the participants.
- A significant association was found between the category of OD and the category of pulmonary involvement.
Conclusions:
- Olfactory dysfunction is prevalent in COVID-19 and significantly correlates with CT-identified pulmonary involvement.
- OD severity should not be solely relied upon as a surrogate for assessing pulmonary involvement in COVID-19.
- Further multicenter research is recommended to validate these findings and elucidate the relationship further.
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