Short‐term chemosensory distortions and phantoms in COVID‐19

Objective To identify differentiation features of chemosensory dysfunction in COVID‐19 infection and their primary drivers. Study Design Cross‐sectional cohort comparison. Methods A national anonymous survey was used to query participants regarding nasal symptoms and chemosensory dysfunction including sensitivity levels, and presence or absence of distortions and phantoms within the 6‐week time window surrounding their COVID‐19 testing and survey completion. Results Three‐hundred and sixty‐four respondents who reported COVID‐19 positive (COVID+; n = 176) or COVID‐19 negative (COVID−; n = 188) test results completed the survey. The COVID+ cohort had higher occurrence rates for: (a) chemosensory sensitivity impairments (67.0% vs 30.3%; P
In the COVID+ cohort, a higher rate of absent smell or taste is associated with a higher rate of chemosensory distortions compared to the COVID− cohort. COVID+, N=176; COVID−, N=188.