Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term outcome

Krishna Jadvani; Siddharth Badola

doi:10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20231414

Authors

Krishna Jadvani Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Santosh Medical College and Hospital, Ghaziabad (Delhi NCR), India
Siddharth Badola Department of Internal Medicine, Santosh Medical College and Hospital, Ghaziabad (Delhi NCR), India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20231414

Keywords:

COVID-19, Pandemic, Coronavirus, Smell disturbance, Olfaction, OD

Abstract

Background: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has commonly affected covid infected patients. This study is done to detect, analyse and study the recovery pattern of OD in laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infected patients since there is very less data available on OD recovery rate.

Methods: Study design is a prospective cohort type and patients were followed up over 16 months of duration. Data was collected of COVID-19 positive patients from January 2020 to May 2021 who were hospitalized and seen after discharge in out-patient department of tertiary care Santosh medical college and hospital, Ghaziabad (Delhi NCR). In these patients, university of Pennsylvania smell identification test (UPSIT)-40 was used for assessment of OD.

Results: Total number of patients enrolled in the study were 153 of which 15 were lost to follow-up. None of the patients died. Among the 138 hospitalized patients with RTPCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection [mean (SD) age, 38.91 (13.90) years; 70 males (50.7%); 68 females (49.3%)]. This is a prospective cohort study studied over 16 months. At the time of diagnosis of COVID-19, smell sensation was categorised based on UPSIT test as anosmic in 69.6% of the patients, severely amosmic in 9.4%, moderately anosmic in 12.3%, mildly anosmic in 8.7%. After a follow-up for 16 months, full recovery was observed in 125 patients (90.6%).

Conclusions: Prognosis for recovery of olfaction dysfunction in COVID-19 patients was favourable. Individuals with sudden onset and gradual onset OD had higher rate of recovery over one-month follow-up period. Sudden onset OD had higher rate of recovery than gradual onset.

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