Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jul;42(7):1570-1576.
doi: 10.1002/hed.26228. Epub 2020 May 9.

Validation of a self-administered olfactory and gustatory test for the remotely evaluation of COVID-19 patients in home quarantine

Luigi Angelo Vaira  1 , Giovanni Salzano  2 , Marzia Petrocelli  3 , Giovanna Deiana  4 , Francesco Antonio Salzano  5 , Giacomo De Riu  1
Affiliations

Validation of a self-administered olfactory and gustatory test for the remotely evaluation of COVID-19 patients in home quarantine

Luigi Angelo Vaira et al. Head Neck. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Chemosensitive disorders are very frequent in the early stages of COVID-19 and in paucisymptomatic cases. These patients are typically placed in home quarantine. This study has the aim of validating a new olfactory and gustatory objective evaluation test in these patients.

Methods: Thirty-three home-quarantined COVID-19 patients have undergone a self-administered chemosensitive test the day before the control swab. On this occasion, the patients underwent operator-administered already validated tests. The results were finally compared.

Results: The differences between the results of the two tests were not significant for both the olfaction (P =.201) and the taste (P =.180).

Conclusion: The olfactory and gustatory evaluation by self-administered test can be considered a valid tool, fundamental for obtaining objective qualitative and quantitative data on the extent of chemosensitive disorders in home-quarantined COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; ageusia; anosmia; gustatory function; olfactory function.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors has a financial interest in any of the products, devices, or drugs mentioned in this manuscript.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Olfactory function results with self‐ and operator‐administered evaluation tests [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Gustatory function results with self‐ and operator‐administered evaluation tests [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vaira LA, Salzano G, Deiana G, De Riu G. Anosmia and ageusia: common findings in COVID‐19 patients. Laryngoscope. 2020. 10.1002/lary.28692. E‐pub ahead of print. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gane SB, Kelly C, Hopkins C. Isolated sudden onset anosmia in COVID‐19 infection. A novel syndrome? Rhinology. 2020. 10.4193/Rhin20.114. E‐pub ahead of print. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lechien JR, Chiesta‐Estomba CM, De Siati DR, et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild‐to‐moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19): a multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorynolaryngol. 2020. 10.1007/s00405-020-05965-1. E‐pub ahead of print. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Giacomelli A, Pezzati L, Conti F, et al. Self‐reported olfactory and taste disorders in SARS‐CoV‐2 patients: a cross‐sectional study. Clin Infect Dis. 2020. 10.1093/cid/ciaa330. E‐pub ahead of print. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hopkins C, Surda P, Kumar BN. Presentation of new onset anosmia during COVID‐19 pandemic. Rhinology. 2020. 10.4193/Rhin20.116. E‐pub ahead of print. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types