1. Psychophysical evaluation of chemosensory functions 5 weeks after olfactory loss due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study on 72 patients.
- Author
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Le Bon SD, Pisarski N, Verbeke J, Prunier L, Cavelier G, Thill MP, Rodriguez A, Dequanter D, Lechien JR, Le Bon O, Hummel T, and Horoi M
- Subjects
- Adult, Anosmia psychology, COVID-19 complications, COVID-19 epidemiology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Odorants, Prospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2, Symptom Assessment methods, Anosmia etiology, COVID-19 diagnosis, COVID-19 psychology, Olfaction Disorders etiology, Smell physiology
- Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the evolution of chemosensation via extended psychophysical testing in patients who suffered from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Additionally, this study sought to determine whether odor threshold testing provided additional information on olfactory loss due to COVID-19 compared to the more common odor identification testing., Methods: Prospective cohort study of patients with sudden chemosensory loss since February 2020 and confirmed COVID-19 infection via RT-PCR or serology testing. Olfactory function was tested extensively using the "Sniffin Sticks" test battery. In addition, we screened gustatory perception and nasal cooling sensations using psychophysical tests., Results: Seventy-two patients completed the study. After a mean of 37 days, 37% of patients showed olfactory dysfunction, 7% were dysgeusic, and 48% showed signs of low sensitivity for cooling sensation. A longer duration of anosmia before smell improvement was correlated with lower olfactory function at 5 weeks. Odor threshold detection was more affected by COVID-19 compared to odor identification., Conclusion: Five weeks after developing sudden chemosensory loss due to COVID-19, a high proportion of patients were dysosmic and showed signs of low nasal cooling sensitivity, whereas most of them had normal taste function. SARS-CoV-2 affected mainly odor thresholds, possibly suggesting that the major cause of loss of smell lies at the level of the olfactory neuroepithelium, rather than in the central nervous system.
- Published
- 2021
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