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Review
. 2020 Sep-Oct;41(5):102581.
doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102581. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

COVID-19 and anosmia: A review based on up-to-date knowledge

Xiangming Meng  1 , Yanzhong Deng  2 , Zhiyong Dai  3 , Zhisheng Meng  4
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19 and anosmia: A review based on up-to-date knowledge

Xiangming Meng et al. Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a vast disaster throughout the world. There is increasing evidence that olfactory dysfunction can present in COVID-19 patients. Anosmia can occur alone or can be accompanied by other symptoms of COVID-19, such as a dry cough. However, the pathogenic mechanism of olfactory dysfunction and its clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. Multiple cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the incidence rate of olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients varies from 33.9-68% with female dominance. Anosmia and dysgeusia are often comorbid in COVID-19 patients. Otolaryngologists should be mindful of the symptom of anosmia in outpatients so as not to delay the diagnosis of COVID-19. In this paper, we have reviewed the relevant knowledge based on up-to-date literature.

Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Olfactory dysfunction; Otolaryngology; SARS-CoV-2; Smell.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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