ArticleInternational forum of allergy & rhinology2020
Smell dysfunction: a biomarker for COVID-19.
Article in International forum of allergy & rhinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 456 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Patients Presenting With Anosmia During COVID-19 Pandemic Era in Egypt
Prevalence and Outcomes of Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions in Patients With COVID-19
Fluvoxamine to Augment Olfactory Recovery For Long COVID-19 Parosmia (FluCOP Trial)
Smell in COVID-19 and Efficacy of Nasal Theophylline 3
Effectiveness and Safety of Povidone-Iodine Irrigation for Postoperative Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Who cites it
456 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 836 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing the prevalence of anosmia and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Extrapulmonary manifestations and complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection: a systematic review.Singapore medical journal · 2023Pooled it
- Taste loss as a distinct symptom of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Chemical senses · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Prognosis and persistence of smell and taste dysfunction in patients with covid-19: meta-analysis with parametric cure modelling of recovery curves.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2022Pooled it
- The prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in covid-19 - A systematic review.Auris, nasus, larynx · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence and prognosis of otorhinolaryngological symptoms in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy of physiological seawater nasal irrigation for the treatment of children with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 variant infection: a randomized controlled trial.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2024Trial
- Intranasal Corticosteroid Treatment on Recovery of Long-Term Olfactory Dysfunction Due to COVID-19.The Laryngoscope · 2022Trial
- Self-reported symptom study of COVID-19 chemosensory dysfunction in Malaysia.Scientific reports · 2022Trial
- Olfactory training with Aromastics: olfactory and cognitive effects.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Trial
- Lost and Found: Is Olfactory Recovery More Promising After COVID-19 Than Other Causes, Even 2 Years Later?International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2026Article
- Impacts of different treatment methods on patients with COVID-related olfactory dysfunction: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Association between Objective and Subjective Olfactory Dysfunction in SARS-CoV-2-Positive Patients Undergoing Skull Base Surgery.Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base · 2026Article
- Article
- Study of Chemosensory Enhancement through Neuromodulation Training (SCENT): Design and methodology of a randomized clinical trial for COVID-related persistent smell dysfunction.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2026Article
- Gene expression and gray matter volume changes in Post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction: a transcriptomic-neuroimaging study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Assessing the Safety of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery After COVID-19 Infection.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Digital Survey-Based Tracing of COVID-19 Over the Early Pandemic: Comprehensive Geospatial and Symptomatic Analysis in Lebanon.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- Inflammatory Markers as Predictors of Onset and Recovery of Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients.Cureus · 2025Article
396 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is responsible for the largest pandemic since the 1918 influenza A virus subtype H1N1 influenza outbreak. The symptoms presently recognized by the World Health Organization are cough, fever, tiredness, and difficulty breathing. Patient-reported smell and taste loss has been associated with COVID-19 infection, yet no empirical olfactory testing on a cohort of COVID-19 patients has been performed.
methodsThe University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a well-validated 40-odorant test, was administered to 60 confirmed COVID-19 inpatients and 60 age- and sex-matched controls to assess the magnitude and frequency of their olfactory dysfunction. A mixed effects analysis of variance determined whether meaningful differences in test scores existed between the 2 groups and if the test scores were differentially influenced by sex.
resultsFifty-nine (98%) of the 60 patients exhibited some smell dysfunction (mean [95% CI] UPSIT score: 20.98 [19.47, 22.48]; controls: 34.10 [33.31, 34.88]; p < 0.0001). Thirty-five of the 60 patients (58%) were either anosmic (15/60; 25%) or severely microsmic (20/60; 33%); 16 exhibited moderate microsmia (16/60; 27%), 8 mild microsmia (8/60; 13%), and 1 normosmia (1/60; 2%). Deficits were evident for all 40 UPSIT odorants. No meaningful relationships between the test scores and sex, disease severity, or comorbidities were found.
conclusionQuantitative smell testing demonstrates that decreased smell function, but not always anosmia, is a major marker for SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggests the possibility that smell testing may help, in some cases, to identify COVID-19 patients in need of early treatment or quarantine.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.