ReviewEuropean journal of pharmacology2021
Potential pharmacologic treatments for COVID-19 smell and taste loss: A comprehensive review.
Review in European journal of pharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Photobiomodulation in the management of persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction post-COVID-19: a systematic review.Lasers in medical science · 2025Pooled it
- Photobiomodulation, Transmucosal Laser Irradiation of Blood, or B complex as alternatives to treat Covid-19 Related Long-Term Taste Impairment: double-blind randomized clinical trial.Lasers in medical science · 2023Trial
- Treatment of COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction with olfactory training, palmitoylethanolamide with luteolin, or combined therapy: a blinded controlled multicenter randomized trial.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 · 2023Trial
- Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide and Luteolin Supplement Combined with Olfactory Training to Treat Post-COVID-19 Olfactory Impairment: A Multi-Center Double-Blinded Randomized Placebo- Controlled Clinical Trial.Current neuropharmacology · 2022Trial
- The Supraorbital Keyhole Craniotomy Approach for Olfactory Implantation: A Radiological Feasibility Study.Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base · 2026Article
- Gene Variants Associated With Individual Sensitivity for Taste Changes After the COVID-19 Infection.BioMed research international · 2026Article
- Supervised Machine Learning Analysis of Food-Related Quality of Life Impact in Olfactory Dysfunction.The Laryngoscope · 2026Article
- Olfactory Dysfunction After SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the RECOVER Adult Cohort.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- SARS-CoV-2-induced sensory perturbations: A narrative review of clinical phenotypes, molecular pathologies, and possible interventions.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Review
- Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Vagal nerve stimulation for the management of long COVID symptoms.Infectious medicine · 2024Review
- Determination of objective taste perception among Iranian medical sciences students during COVID‑19 pandemic in Yazd, Eastern Iran: a case-control pilot study.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Interplay between Comorbidities and Long COVID: Challenges and Multidisciplinary Approaches.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Histopathology of the Tongue in a Hamster Model of COVID-19.Research square · 2024Article
- SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses in Human Olfactory Pathophysiology.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- Taste and Smell Disorders: A Critical Look at Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunction.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A Comprehensive Review of COVID-19-Related Olfactory Deficiency: Unraveling Associations with Neurocognitive Disorders and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Alcohol Sniff Test (AST): An Important Tool for Screening Post-Viral Olfactory Loss in Acute Flu-Like Dysfunction.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024Article
- Effect of oral zinc and steroids on long COVID hyposmia and hypogeusia.SAGE open medicine · 2024Article
- Association Between ACE2 and Lung Diseases.Infection and drug resistance · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The acute loss of taste and smell following COVID-19 are hallmark symptoms that affect 20-85% of patients. However, the pathophysiology and potential treatments of COVID-19 smell and taste loss are not fully understood. We searched the literature to review the potential pathologic pathways and treatment options for COVID-19 smell and taste loss. The interaction of novel coronavirus with ACE-2 receptors expressed on sustentacular cells and taste buds results in direct damage to the olfactory and gustatory systems. Also, the invasion of the virus to the olfactory neurons and consequent local inflammation are other proposed mechanisms. Therefore, COVID-19 patients with smell or taste loss may benefit from neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, or depolarizing agents. Based on the current evidence, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, insulin, and corticosteroids can be promising for the management of COVID-19 smell and taste loss. This review provided crucial information for treating COVID-19-related smell and/or taste loss, urging to perform large clinical trials to find optimum treatment options.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.