This study prospectively assessed the six-month prevalence of self-reported and psychophysically measured olfactory dysfunction in subjects with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Self-reported smell or taste impairment was prospectively evaluated by SNOT-22 at diagnosis, 4-week, 8-week, and 6-month. At 6 months from the diagnosis, psychophysical evaluation of olfactory function was also performed using the 34-item culturally adapted University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (CA-UPSIT). 145 completed both the 6-month subjective and psychophysical olfactory evaluation. According to CA-UPSIT, 87 subjects (60.0%) exhibited some smell dysfunction, with 10 patients being anosmic (6.9%) and 7 being severely microsmic (4.8%). At the time CA-UPSIT was administered, a weak correlation was observed between the self-reported alteration of sense of smell or taste and olfactory test scores (Spearman's r=-0.26). Among 112 patients who self-reported normal sense of smell at last follow-up, CA-UPSIT revealed normal smell in 46 (41.1%), mild microsmia in 46 (41.1%), moderate microsmia in 11 (9.8%), severe microsmia in 3 (2.3%), and anosmia in 6 (5.4%) patients; however, of those patients self-reporting normal smell but who were found to have hypofunction on testing, 62 out of 66 had self-reported reduction in sense of smell or taste at an earlier time point. Despite most patients report a subjectively normal sense of smell, we observed a high percentage of persistent smell dysfunction at 6 months from the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with 11.7% of patients being anosmic or severely microsmic. These data highlight a significant long-term rate of smell alteration in patients with previous SARS-COV-2 infection.

Six-month psychophysical evaluation of olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 / Boscolo-Rizzo, Paolo; Menegaldo, Anna; Fabbris, Cristoforo; Spinato, Giacomo; Borsetto, Daniele; Vaira, Luigi Angelo; Calvanese, Leonardo; Pettorelli, Andrea; Sonego, Massimo; Frezza, Daniele; Bertolin, Andy; Cestaro, Walter; Rigoli, Roberto; D'Alessandro, Andrea; Tirelli, Giancarlo; Da Mosto, Maria Cristina; Menini, Anna; Polesel, Jerry; Hopkins, Claire. - In: CHEMICAL SENSES. - ISSN 0379-864X. - 46:(2021), pp. 1-26. [10.1093/chemse/bjab006]

Six-month psychophysical evaluation of olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID-19

Menini, Anna;
2021-01-01

Abstract

This study prospectively assessed the six-month prevalence of self-reported and psychophysically measured olfactory dysfunction in subjects with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Self-reported smell or taste impairment was prospectively evaluated by SNOT-22 at diagnosis, 4-week, 8-week, and 6-month. At 6 months from the diagnosis, psychophysical evaluation of olfactory function was also performed using the 34-item culturally adapted University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (CA-UPSIT). 145 completed both the 6-month subjective and psychophysical olfactory evaluation. According to CA-UPSIT, 87 subjects (60.0%) exhibited some smell dysfunction, with 10 patients being anosmic (6.9%) and 7 being severely microsmic (4.8%). At the time CA-UPSIT was administered, a weak correlation was observed between the self-reported alteration of sense of smell or taste and olfactory test scores (Spearman's r=-0.26). Among 112 patients who self-reported normal sense of smell at last follow-up, CA-UPSIT revealed normal smell in 46 (41.1%), mild microsmia in 46 (41.1%), moderate microsmia in 11 (9.8%), severe microsmia in 3 (2.3%), and anosmia in 6 (5.4%) patients; however, of those patients self-reporting normal smell but who were found to have hypofunction on testing, 62 out of 66 had self-reported reduction in sense of smell or taste at an earlier time point. Despite most patients report a subjectively normal sense of smell, we observed a high percentage of persistent smell dysfunction at 6 months from the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with 11.7% of patients being anosmic or severely microsmic. These data highlight a significant long-term rate of smell alteration in patients with previous SARS-COV-2 infection.
2021
46
1
26
bjab008
Boscolo-Rizzo, Paolo; Menegaldo, Anna; Fabbris, Cristoforo; Spinato, Giacomo; Borsetto, Daniele; Vaira, Luigi Angelo; Calvanese, Leonardo; Pettorelli, Andrea; Sonego, Massimo; Frezza, Daniele; Bertolin, Andy; Cestaro, Walter; Rigoli, Roberto; D'Alessandro, Andrea; Tirelli, Giancarlo; Da Mosto, Maria Cristina; Menini, Anna; Polesel, Jerry; Hopkins, Claire
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11767/118809
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