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. 2022 Jan;279(1):515-520.
doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-06839-w. Epub 2021 May 7.

Self-reported smell and taste recovery in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a one-year prospective study

Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo  1 , Francesco Guida  2 , Jerry Polesel  3 , Alberto Vito Marcuzzo  2 , Paolo Antonucci  2 , Vincenzo Capriotti  4 , Erica Sacchet  2 , Fiordaliso Cragnolini  2 , Andrea D'Alessandro  2 , Enrico Zanelli  2 , Riccardo Marzolino  2 , Chiara Lazzarin  2 , Margherita Tofanelli  2 , Nicoletta Gardenal  2 , Daniele Borsetto  5 , Claire Hopkins  6 , Luigi Angelo Vaira  7 , Giancarlo Tirelli  2
Affiliations

Self-reported smell and taste recovery in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a one-year prospective study

Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to estimate the 1 year prevalence and recovery rate of self-reported chemosensory dysfunction in a series of subjects with previous mild-to-moderate symptomatic COVID-19.

Methods: Prospective study based on the SNOT-22, item "sense of smell or taste" and additional outcomes.

Results: 268/315 patients (85.1%) completing the survey at baseline also completed the follow-up interview. The 12 months prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 associated chemosensory dysfunction was 21.3% (95% CI 16.5-26.7%). Of the 187 patients who complained of COVID-19 associated chemosensory dysfunction at baseline, 130 (69.5%; 95% CI 62.4-76.0%) reported complete resolution of smell or taste impairment, 41 (21.9%) reported a decrease in the severity, and 16 (8.6%) reported the symptom was unchanged or worse 1 year after onset. The risk of persistence was higher for patients reporting a baseline SNOT-22 score ≥ 4 (OR = 3.32; 95% CI 1.32-8.36) as well as for those requiring ≥ 22 days for a negative swab (OR = 2.18; 95% CI 1.12-4.27).

Conclusion: A substantial proportion of patients with previous mild-to-moderate symptomatic COVID-19 characterized by new onset of chemosensory dysfunction still complained on altered sense of smell or taste 1 year after the onset.

Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Outcome; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

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