ArticleInternational forum of allergy & rhinology2020
Prevalence and reversibility of smell dysfunction measured psychophysically in a cohort of COVID-19 patients.
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. Cited by 60 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Prevalence of Olfactory Dysfunction in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Meta-analysis of 27,492 Patients.The Laryngoscope · 2021Pooled it
- Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: The Persistent Symptoms at the Post-viral Stage of the Disease. A Systematic Review of the Current Data.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Prevalence of Chemosensory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Reveals Significant Ethnic Differences.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2020Pooled it
- Intensive Olfactory Training in Post-COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.American journal of rhinology & allergy · 2022Trial
- A new framework for the labeling of odors in the Sniffin' Sticks odor identification test: relevance of familiarity and test-retest assessment.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
- Prevalence of olfactory dysfunction among postpartum women and impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Factors Associated With Persisting Olfactory Dysfunction After COVID-19.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2025Article
- The digital scent device 20: an automated, self-administered odor identification test.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 · 2024Article
- Odor representation and coding by the mitral/tufted cells in the olfactory bulb.Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B · 2024Review
- Article
- Olfactory dysfunction as an early predictor for post-COVID condition at 1-year follow-up.Brain and behavior · 2024Article
- Effect of drug therapies on self-reported chemosensory outcomes after COVID-19.World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery · 2024Article
- Impact of post-COVID-19 olfactory disorders on quality of life, hedonic experiences and psychiatric dimensions in general population.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- The Lingering Effects of COVID-19: The Psychological State and Quality of Life of Patients with Persistent Loss of Smell and Taste.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024Article
- Olfactory dysfunction among patients with COVID-19.Saudi medical journal · 2023Article
- SARS-Cov-2 Cycle Threshold Value and Olfactory Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients.Iranian journal of otorhinolaryngology · 2023Article
- Effects of COVID-19 on Sense of Smell: Human Factors/Ergonomics Considerations.Human factors · 2023Review
- Design and Evaluation of a Potential Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Strategy for Treating Persistent Anosmia in Post-COVID-19 Patients.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundConsiderable evidence suggests that smell dysfunction is common in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Unfortunately, extant data on prevalence and reversibility over time are highly variable, coming mainly from self-report surveys prone to multiple biases. Thus, validated psychophysical olfactory testing is sorely needed to establish such parameters.
methodsOne hundred severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive patients were administered the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) in the hospital near the end of the acute phase of the disease. Eighty-two were retested 1 or 4 weeks later at home. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and mixed-effect regression models.
resultsInitial UPSIT scores were indicative of severe microsmia, with 96% exhibiting measurable dysfunction; 18% were anosmic. The scores improved upon retest (initial test: mean, 21.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 20.84-23.09; retest: mean, 31.13; 95% CI, 30.16-32.10; p < 0.0001); no patient remained anosmic. After 5 weeks from COVID-19 symptom onset, the test scores of 63% of the retested patients were normal. However, the mean UPSIT score at that time continued to remain below that of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (p < 0.001). Such scores were related to time since symptom onset, sex, and age.
conclusionSmell loss was extremely common in the acute phase of a cohort of 100 COVID-19 patients when objectively measured. About one third of cases continued to exhibit dysfunction 6 to 8 weeks after symptom onset. These findings have direct implications for the use of olfactory testing in identifying SARS-CoV-2 carriers and for counseling such individuals with regard to their smell dysfunction and its reversibility.
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