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
Review
. 2020 Nov;10(11):e01839.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.1839. Epub 2020 Sep 16.

Can symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia be diagnostic for COVID-19?

Syeda Anum Zahra  1 , Sashini Iddawela  2 , Kiran Pillai  1 , Rozina Yasmin Choudhury  1 , Amer Harky  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Can symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia be diagnostic for COVID-19?

Syeda Anum Zahra et al. Brain Behav. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Olfactory and taste dysfunction (OTD) is a potential neurological manifestation of coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia for COVID-19.

Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar from 1 June 2020 to 12 June 2020. All studies reporting symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19-positive patients were included. A total of 23 studies were included in the systematic review.

Results: Symptoms of anosmia and dysgeusia were frequently reported by COVID-19-positive patients. Symptoms were more common in females and in younger patients. There was no direct association between the severity of COVID-19 and the presence of symptoms. However, some evidence was found for a longer duration of these symptoms and increased severity of COVID-19 infection in young patients.

Conclusion: OTD is commonly reported by COVID-19 patients. Due to limited literature on the association between OTD and COVID-19, it is currently not possible to conclude that these symptoms alone can be used to diagnose COVID-19. However, the presence of OTD can potentially be used as a screening tool for COVID-19 especially in young and female patients. Further research is required to establish the true diagnostic value of these symptoms and efficacy as screening tools for COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; anosmia; dysgeusia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow chart showing the selection process for included studies
Figure 2
Figure 2
Possible mechanism of interaction between SARs‐CoV‐2 and the cranial nerves. SARS‐CoV‐2 can potentially interact with the cranial nerves (olfactory, vagus, facial, and glossopharyngeal) via the angiotensin‐converting enzyme receptor‐2 (ACE2) leading to olfactory taste dysfunction. SARS‐CoV‐2 can also cause damage to the peripheral nerves leading to several other neurological manifestations. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2; ACE2, Original Illustration created using BioRender
Figure 3
Figure 3
Neurological manifestations of COVID‐19. Guillain–Barré syndrome; GBS, Cerebrovascular Accidents; CVA, Olfactory and taste dysfunction; OTD Original Illustration created using BioRender
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. AAO‐HNS: Anosmia, Hyposmia, and Dysgeusia Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease [Internet]. American Academy of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.entnet.org/content/aao-hns-anosmia-hyposmia-and-dysgeusia-sy...
    1. Abdelnour, L. , Abdalla, M. , & Babiker, S. (2020). COVID 19 infection presenting as motor peripheral neuropathy. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association, 119, 1119–1120. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahmed, M. , Hanif, M. , Ali, M. , Haider, M. , Kherani, D. , Memon, G. , … Sattar, A. (2020). Neurological manifestations of COVID‐19 (SARS‐CoV‐2): A review. Frontiers in Neurology, 11, 518. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alberti, P. , Beretta, S. , Piatti, M. , Karantzoulis, A. , Piatti, M. L. , Santoro, P. , … Ferrarese, C. (2020). Guillain‐Barré syndrome related to COVID‐19 infection. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm., 7(4), e741. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baig, A. , Khaleeq, A. , Ali, U. , & Syeda, H. (2020). Evidence of the COVID‐19 virus targeting the CNS: Tissue distribution, host‐virus interaction, and proposed neurotropic mechanisms. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 11(7), 995–998. - PubMed