Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1164901

Review

. 2023 Mar 24:17:1164901.

doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1164901. eCollection 2023.

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study

Zhirong Yang¹, Yukun Ma², Wei Bi^{3

4}, Jingqian Tang^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Library of Zhuhai Campus, Jinan University, Zhuhai, China.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Subject Service and Consultation, Jinan University Library, Guangzhou, China.
⁶ Intellectual Property Information Service Center, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 37034158
PMCID: PMC10079987
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1164901

Review

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study

Zhirong Yang et al. Front Neurosci. 2023.

. 2023 Mar 24:17:1164901.

doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1164901. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Zhirong Yang¹, Yukun Ma², Wei Bi^{3

4}, Jingqian Tang^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Library of Zhuhai Campus, Jinan University, Zhuhai, China.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Subject Service and Consultation, Jinan University Library, Guangzhou, China.
⁶ Intellectual Property Information Service Center, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 37034158
PMCID: PMC10079987
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1164901

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, olfactory dysfunction (OD) has become an important and persistent legacy problem that seriously affects the quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively analyze and visualize the current research status and development trend of COVID-19 related OD by using VOSviewer software. Based on the Web of Science database, a total of 1,592 relevant documents were retrieved in January 2023, with publication time spanning from 2020 to 2023. The bibliometric analysis revealed that the most influential research results in the field of COVID-19 related OD were concentrated in journals of related disciplines such as otorhinolaryngology, medicine, general and internal, virology, neurosciences, etc. The knowledge base of the research is mainly formed in two fields: COVID-19 clinical research and OD specialized research. The research hotspots are mainly concentrated in six directions: COVID-19, long COVID, smell, anosmia, OD, and recovery. Based on the results of the bibliometric analysis, the temporal trends of COVID-19 related OD studies were visually revealed, and relevant suggestions for future research were proposed.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; cluster analysis; co-citation analysis; co-word analysis; long COVID; olfactory dysfunction.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The structure of this review.

**Figure 2**
The mapping of cited sources co-citation analysis.

**Figure 3**
The mapping of cited sources co-citation analysis.

**Figure 4**
The mapping of author keywords co-occurrence analysis.

**Figure 5**
The mapping of keywords temporal evolution.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

Cited by

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) in the Treatment of Long COVID Olfactory Disorders: A Comprehensive Review.
Maniaci A, Lavalle S, Masiello E, Lechien JR, Vaira L, Boscolo-Rizzo P, Musa M, Gagliano C, Zeppieri M. Maniaci A, et al. Biomedicines. 2024 Apr 5;12(4):808. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12040808. Biomedicines. 2024. PMID: 38672163 Free PMC article. Review.
Insight into NeuroCOVID: neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a biomarker in post-COVID-19 patients with olfactory dysfunctions.
Pennacchia F, Zoccali F, Petrella C, Talarico G, Rusi E, Zingaropoli MA, Ruqa WA, Bruno G, Capuano R, Catini A, Di Natale C, Minni A, Barbato C. Pennacchia F, et al. J Neurol. 2025 Jul 1;272(7):484. doi: 10.1007/s00415-025-13222-w. J Neurol. 2025. PMID: 40591023 Free PMC article.
Long COVID Research, 2020-2024: A PubMed-Based Bibliometric Analysis.
Honorato-Cia C, Cacho-Asenjo E, Martinez-Simon A, Aquerreta I, Núñez-Córdoba JM. Honorato-Cia C, et al. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Feb 1;13(3):298. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13030298. Healthcare (Basel). 2025. PMID: 39942487 Free PMC article. Review.
Global landscape of COVID-19 research: a visualization analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Zyoud SH. Zyoud SH. Clin Exp Med. 2024 Jan 22;24(1):14. doi: 10.1007/s10238-023-01254-3. Clin Exp Med. 2024. PMID: 38252392 Free PMC article.
Validity and reliability of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders for Italian-speaking patients with olfactory dysfunction.
Vaira LA, Tirelli G, Rizzo D, Uderzo F, Avanzini F, Trabalzini F, Rivelli N, Burger D, Calabrese L, Solla P, Bussu F, Mayo-Yáñez M, Lechien JR, De Riu G, Boscolo-Rizzo P. Vaira LA, et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2024 Feb;44(1):42-51. doi: 10.14639/0392-100X-N2736. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2024. PMID: 38420720 Free PMC article.

See all "Cited by" articles

References

1. Agyeman A. A., Chin K. L., Landersdorfer C. B., Liew D., Ofori-Asenso R. (2020). Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proc. 95, 1621–1631. 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.05.030 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Alqahtani A. S., Aldhahi M. I., Alqahtani F., Altamimi M., Alshehri M. M. (2022). Impact of the loss of smell on the sleep quality and fatigue level in COVID-19 survivors. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 279, 4443–4449. 10.1007/s00405-022-07381-z - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Aziz M., Goyal H., Haghbin H., Lee-Smith W. M., Gajendran M., Perisetti A. (2021). The association of “loss of smell” to COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am. J. Med. Sci. 361, 216–225. 10.1016/j.amjms.2020.09.017 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Azizi S. A., Azizi S. A. (2020). Neurological injuries in COVID-19 patients: direct viral invasion or a bystander injury after infection of epithelial/endothelial cells. J. Neurovirol. 26, 631–641. 10.1007/s13365-020-00903-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Baig A. M., 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 Chem. Neurosci. 11, 995–998. 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

[1] Agyeman A. A., Chin K. L., Landersdorfer C. B., Liew D., Ofori-Asenso R. (2020). Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proc. 95, 1621–1631. 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.05.030 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Agyeman A. A., Chin K. L., Landersdorfer C. B., Liew D., Ofori-Asenso R. (2020). Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proc. 95, 1621–1631. 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.05.030 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Alqahtani A. S., Aldhahi M. I., Alqahtani F., Altamimi M., Alshehri M. M. (2022). Impact of the loss of smell on the sleep quality and fatigue level in COVID-19 survivors. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 279, 4443–4449. 10.1007/s00405-022-07381-z - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Alqahtani A. S., Aldhahi M. I., Alqahtani F., Altamimi M., Alshehri M. M. (2022). Impact of the loss of smell on the sleep quality and fatigue level in COVID-19 survivors. Eur. Arch. Oto-Rhino-Laryngol. 279, 4443–4449. 10.1007/s00405-022-07381-z - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Aziz M., Goyal H., Haghbin H., Lee-Smith W. M., Gajendran M., Perisetti A. (2021). The association of “loss of smell” to COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am. J. Med. Sci. 361, 216–225. 10.1016/j.amjms.2020.09.017 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[6] Aziz M., Goyal H., Haghbin H., Lee-Smith W. M., Gajendran M., Perisetti A. (2021). The association of “loss of smell” to COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am. J. Med. Sci. 361, 216–225. 10.1016/j.amjms.2020.09.017 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[7] Azizi S. A., Azizi S. A. (2020). Neurological injuries in COVID-19 patients: direct viral invasion or a bystander injury after infection of epithelial/endothelial cells. J. Neurovirol. 26, 631–641. 10.1007/s13365-020-00903-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Azizi S. A., Azizi S. A. (2020). Neurological injuries in COVID-19 patients: direct viral invasion or a bystander injury after infection of epithelial/endothelial cells. J. Neurovirol. 26, 631–641. 10.1007/s13365-020-00903-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Baig A. M., 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 Chem. Neurosci. 11, 995–998. 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122 - DOI - PubMed

[10] Baig A. M., 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 Chem. Neurosci. 11, 995–998. 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122 - DOI - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study

Affiliations

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources