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Olfactory Disturbances as Presenting Manifestation Among Egyptian Patients with COVID-19: Possible Role of Zinc
- Source :
- Biological Trace Element Research
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Background: COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Deficiency of zinc has been supposed to contribute to loss of smell, and taste in COVID-19 patients. Our study aimed to assess the serum zinc levels among patients with COVID-19 of various severities, with and without olfaction dysfunction. Also, to evaluate the effect of zinc therapy in recovery of smell dysfunction among such patients.Methods: This study included 134 patients; real-time reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) proved SARS-CoV-2. Serum zinc levels were measured for all infected patients. One hundred and five patients were detected to have anosmia and/ or hyposmia and who were categorized randomly into 2 groups, the first group included 49 patients received zinc therapy and a second group included 56 patients who did not receive zinc. Follow up of all patients for recovery duration of olfactory and gustatory symptoms and duration of complete recovery of COVID-19. Results: Olfactory dysfunction was reported in 105 patients (78.4%). Serum zinc levels weren't significantly differs between the patients' subgroups regarding disease severity or the presence or absence of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction (p˃0.05). The median duration of recovery of gustatory and/or olfactory function was significantly shorter among patients received zinc therapy than those who did not received zinc (p< 0.001), while the median duration of complete recovery from COVID-19 wasn't significantly differ among the two groups (p˃0.05).Conclusion: Although zinc status of COVID19 patients didn't exhibited a significant role in development of anosmia and/or hyposmia or disease severity, but zinc therapy may have a significant role in shortening the duration of smell recovery in those patients without affecting the total recovery duration from COVID-19.
- Subjects :
- Olfactory system
medicine.medical_specialty
Taste
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Anosmia
Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Clinical Biochemistry
chemistry.chemical_element
Olfaction
Zinc
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
Gastroenterology
Biochemistry
Article
Inorganic Chemistry
03 medical and health sciences
Hyposmia
Internal medicine
medicine
Humans
Respiratory system
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Biochemistry, medical
0303 health sciences
business.industry
SARS-CoV-2
030302 biochemistry & molecular biology
Biochemistry (medical)
COVID-19
General Medicine
Smell
chemistry
Egypt
medicine.symptom
business
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15590720 and 01634984
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Biological Trace Element Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....48515345689fe6863b63225656785c90
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02546-5