SynthesisChemical senses2023
Taste loss as a distinct symptom of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Chemical senses, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Unique and shared patterns of chemosensory dysfunction distinguish chronic COVID-19 and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology · 2026Article
- "I Can Taste It, But Sometimes It's Disgusting" Cross-sectional Study on the Influence of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Both Acute and Postinfection, in Comparison to Other Respiratory Infections on Taste and Smell Perception.The Pediatric infectious disease journal · 2026Article
- Interactions between taste and oral microbiome: mechanisms and implications for oral and systemic diseases.Journal of oral microbiology · 2026Review
- Clinical Symptom Patterns as Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Healthcare Workers in Puerto Rico.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Inflammation from mild COVID-19 results in persistent neurological and behavioral changes in rhesus macaques.Research square · 2025Article
- Taste dysfunction in Long COVID.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- TAS2R38 gene methylation is associated with syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and clinical symptoms.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Histopathology of the tongue in a hamster model of COVID-19.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Worldwide study of the taste of bitter medicines and their modifiers.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Towards universal chemosensory testing: needs, barriers, and opportunities.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Towards universal chemosensory testing: needs, barriers, and opportunities.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
- Histopathology of the Tongue in a Hamster Model of COVID-19.Research square · 2024Article
- Incidence and prognosis of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain infection in China: A national multicenter survey of 35,566 individuals.World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery · 2024Article
- Transient loss and recovery of oral chemesthesis, taste and smell with COVID-19: A small case-control series.Physiology & behavior · 2023Article
- Transient loss and recovery of oral chemesthesis, taste and smell with COVID-19: A small case-control series.Physiology & behavior · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Chemosensory scientists have been skeptical that reports of COVID-19 taste loss are genuine, in part because before COVID-19 taste loss was rare and often confused with smell loss. Therefore, to establish the predicted prevalence rate of taste loss in COVID-19 patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 376 papers published in 2020-2021, with 235 meeting all inclusion criteria. Drawing on previous studies and guided by early meta-analyses, we explored how methodological differences (direct vs. self-report measures) may affect these estimates. We hypothesized that direct measures of taste are at least as sensitive as those obtained by self-report and that the preponderance of evidence confirms taste loss is a symptom of COVID-19. The meta-analysis showed that, among 138,015 COVID-19-positive patients, 36.62% reported taste dysfunction (95% confidence interval: 33.02%-40.39%), and the prevalence estimates were slightly but not significantly higher from studies using direct (n = 15) versus self-report (n = 220) methodologies (Q = 1.73, df = 1, P = 0.1889). Generally, males reported lower rates of taste loss than did females, and taste loss was highest among middle-aged adults. Thus, taste loss is likely a bona fide symptom of COVID-19, meriting further research into the most appropriate direct methods to measure it and its underlying mechanisms.
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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.