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. 2024 Jan 22;70(2):e20231018.
doi: 10.1590/1806-9282.20231018. eCollection 2024.

Olfactory and taste disorders in COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in primary health care

Assel Muratovna Shigayeva Ferreira  1 , João Agnaldo do Nascimento  1 , Letícia de Carvalho Palhano Travassos  1 , Leandro de Araújo Pernambuco  1
Affiliations

Olfactory and taste disorders in COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in primary health care

Assel Muratovna Shigayeva Ferreira et al. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). .

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of self-reported olfactory and taste disorders in non-hospitalized Brazilian adults who presented severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 infection symptoms and attended primary health care.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on a routine standardized diagnostic screening questionnaire applied in a Brazilian primary care facility. The olfactory and taste disorder occurrence was compared between severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive and severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-negative cases and described by age and sex.

Results: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive patients had a higher proportion of self-reported olfactory and taste disorders, as compared with severe acute respiratory syndrome-negative (50.7%, vs. 20.6%, p<0.0001). Of all individuals with self-reported olfactory and taste disorder cases, 69% presented both olfactory and taste impairments, 13% olfactory only, and 17% taste only. In severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive cases, the frequency of olfactory and taste disorders was significantly higher among females as compared with males (71% vs. 34%). Additionally, people with olfactory and taste disorders were significantly younger in the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive group.

Conclusion: Self-reported olfactory and taste disorders are highly common among non-hospitalized severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive Brazilian people who attended the Family Health Care Unit. The co-occurrence of both self-reported olfactory and taste disorders was more frequent than self-reported olfactory or taste disorders alone.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: the authors declare there is no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Flowchart of study sample selection.
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