Journal Article

Early recovery following new onset anosmia during the COVID-19 pandemic – an observational cohort study

Hopkins, Claire, Surda, Pavol, Whitehead, Emily, Kumar, B. Nirmal

2020

Overview

Background A rapidly evolving evidence suggests that smell and taste disturbance are common symptoms in COVID-19 infection. As yet there are no reports on duration and recovery rates. We set out to characterise patients reporting new onset smell and taste disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic and report on early recovery rates. Methods Online Survey of patients reporting self-diagnosed new onset smell and taste disturbance during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1 week follow-up. Results Three hundred eighty-two patents completed bot an initial and follow-up survey. 86.4% reported complete anosmia and a further 11.5% a very severe loss of smell at the time of completing the first survey. At follow-up 1 week later, there is already significant improvement in self-rating of severity of olfactory loss. 80.1% report lower severity scores at follow-up, 17.6% are unchanged and 1.9% are worse. 11.5% already report compete resolution at follow up, while 17.3% report persistent complete loss of smell, with reported duration being 1 to over 4 weeks. This is reflected in the overall cumulative improvement rate of 79% patients overall in the interval between surveys. Conclusions A review of the growing evidence base supports the likelihood that out cohort have suffered olfactory loss as part of COVID-19 infection. While early recovery rates are encouraging, long term rates will need to be further investigated and there may be an increase in patients with persistent post-viral loss as a result of the pandemic. We further call for loss of sense of smell to be formerly recognised as a marker of COVID-19 infection.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Sage Publications Ltd,SAGE Publishing
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Anosmia / Betacoronavirus / Cohort analysis / Cohort Studies / Coronavirus Infections - complications / Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Electronic mail systems / Epidemics / Epidemiology / Female / Females / Head and Neck Surgery / Health aspects / Humans / Infection / Infections / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Middle Aged / Observational studies / Olfaction disorders / Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology / Olfaction Disorders - etiology / Olfactory dysfunction / Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery / Original / Original Research Article / Otorhinolaryngology / Pandemics / Patients / Plastic Surgery / Pneumonia, Viral - complications / Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology / Polls & surveys / Response rates / SARS-CoV-2 / Smell / Surveys / Surveys and Questionnaires / Taste / Young Adult