Taste and Smell Impairment in SARS-CoV-2 Recovers Early and Spontaneously: Experimental Data Strongly Linked to Clinical Data

Abstract

A growing body of literature indicates that smell and taste impairment has frequently occurred during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-like Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak. Experimental studies have mostly found that non-neural-type cells are responsible for SARS-CoV-2-related taste and smell impairment. If this is the case, smell/taste impairment needs to recover early. Literature data from clinical studies indicated a strong correlation between experimental and clinical findings. This article presents clinical studies related to SARS-CoV-2-induced smell/taste impairment that reported recovery rates. Experimental researchers may use these data to observe the dynamics of smell impairment and implement these findings in their research (e.g., correct timing of sampling) to perform further studies.

Keywords: COVID-19; anosmia; chemosensory; gustatory; olfactory; smell.