TY - JOUR
T1 - Gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 pneumonia
T2 - A prospective study
AU - Inciarte, Alexy
AU - Cardozo, Celia
AU - Chumbita, Mariana
AU - Alcubilla, Pau
AU - Torres, Berta
AU - Cordón, Ana González
AU - Rico, Veronica
AU - Aguero, Daiana
AU - García-Pouton, Nicole
AU - Hernández-Meneses, Marta
AU - Albiach, Laia
AU - Meira, Fernanda
AU - De La Mora, Lorena
AU - Linares, Laura
AU - Puerta-Alcalde, Pedro
AU - MacAya, Irene
AU - Mensa, Josep
AU - Laguno, Montse
AU - Ambrosioni, Juan
AU - Ramos, Angela
AU - Morata, Laura
AU - Bodro, Marta
AU - Moreno-García, Estela
AU - Moreno, Antonio
AU - Sola, Montse
AU - Rojas, Jhon
AU - Leal, Lorna
AU - Torres, Manuel
AU - Garcia-Vidal, Carolina
AU - Martínez, Jose Antonio
AU - Alobid, Isam
AU - Soriano, Alex
AU - Garcia, Felipe
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
PY - 2021/8/17
Y1 - 2021/8/17
N2 - Importance Identifying undetected clinical signs is imperative in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2. Objective To establish the prevalence of clinical gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Clinical outcomes and recovery rates associated with gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were also assessed. Design A prospective study was performed in 80 patients admitted to Hospital Clínic of Barcelona (Spain) for COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were re-evaluated in the ward daily until discharge. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunction symptoms were retrospectively collected from emergency room (ER) charts after first assessments. Follow-up was performed in telemedicine consultation. Setting The single-centre study was performed in a hospitalisation ward at a university hospital. Participants Consecutive patients meeting hospitalisation criteria for COVID-19 pneumonia were eligible. Study exclusion criteria were patients who could not speak, had previous gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions or whose PCR tests for SARS-CoV-19 were negative. Interventions Systematic assessment of gustatory and olfactory symptoms with standardised questions. Outcome(s) Prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Results Of the 80 study subjects, 62.5% were male and the median age was 57 years. Half of the cohort (n=40) presented with comorbidities. The prevalence of chemosensitive disorder was 73.8% (n=59) (95% CI: 63.8 to 83.8), although self-reported symptoms were recorded in only 26.3% (n=21) of patients in the ER. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were observed in 58.8% (n=47) and 55% (n=44) of cases, respectively. They were also the first symptoms in 25% (n=20) of patients. Anosmia was associated with ageusia, OR: 7, 95% CI: 2.3 to 21.8, p=0.001). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed when patients with and without gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were compared. Recovery rates were 20% (n=10) and 85% (n=42) at days 7 and 45, respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in COVID-19 pneumonia was much higher than in self-report. Presence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions was not a predictor of clinical outcomes.
AB - Importance Identifying undetected clinical signs is imperative in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2. Objective To establish the prevalence of clinical gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Clinical outcomes and recovery rates associated with gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were also assessed. Design A prospective study was performed in 80 patients admitted to Hospital Clínic of Barcelona (Spain) for COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were re-evaluated in the ward daily until discharge. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunction symptoms were retrospectively collected from emergency room (ER) charts after first assessments. Follow-up was performed in telemedicine consultation. Setting The single-centre study was performed in a hospitalisation ward at a university hospital. Participants Consecutive patients meeting hospitalisation criteria for COVID-19 pneumonia were eligible. Study exclusion criteria were patients who could not speak, had previous gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions or whose PCR tests for SARS-CoV-19 were negative. Interventions Systematic assessment of gustatory and olfactory symptoms with standardised questions. Outcome(s) Prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Results Of the 80 study subjects, 62.5% were male and the median age was 57 years. Half of the cohort (n=40) presented with comorbidities. The prevalence of chemosensitive disorder was 73.8% (n=59) (95% CI: 63.8 to 83.8), although self-reported symptoms were recorded in only 26.3% (n=21) of patients in the ER. Gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were observed in 58.8% (n=47) and 55% (n=44) of cases, respectively. They were also the first symptoms in 25% (n=20) of patients. Anosmia was associated with ageusia, OR: 7, 95% CI: 2.3 to 21.8, p=0.001). No differences in clinical outcomes were observed when patients with and without gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions were compared. Recovery rates were 20% (n=10) and 85% (n=42) at days 7 and 45, respectively. Conclusion The prevalence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions in COVID-19 pneumonia was much higher than in self-report. Presence of gustatory and olfactory dysfunctions was not a predictor of clinical outcomes.
KW - COVID-19
KW - adult otolaryngology
KW - infection control
KW - infectious diseases
KW - public health
KW - respiratory infections
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85113373162
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040775
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040775
M3 - Article
C2 - 34404693
AN - SCOPUS:85113373162
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 11
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 8
M1 - e040775
ER -
