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. 2021 Oct 15;149(1):e2021052534.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-052534. Online ahead of print.

Is Acute Solid Food Aversion a Proxy for COVID-19-Related Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction?

Farn-Hsuan Tseng  1 , Sylvia H Yeh  1   2 , Kevin Basiago  1 , Wendy Miyares  1 , Kenneth M Zangwill  3   2
Affiliations

Is Acute Solid Food Aversion a Proxy for COVID-19-Related Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction?

Farn-Hsuan Tseng et al. Pediatrics. .

Abstract

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction (OGD) may be observed in adult and pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In young preverbal patients, the presence of OGD may go undetected. We describe 2 children <2 years of age with acute solid food aversion most likely as a manifestation of OGD immediately after COVID-19 infection, with slow to minimal improvement over 6 to 8 months in both children. A review of the literature on COVID-19–related OGD in children is presented, revealing <100 cases and none associated with documented food aversion. We believe the presence of acute food aversion in preverbal children, in the appropriate epidemiological and clinical context, should trigger testing for COVID-19 because it may be the first and only symptom of infection and for pediatricians to provide anticipatory guidance for parents after acute COVID-19 infection in young children.

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Conflict of interest statement

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

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