Study to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on the sensory perception and the nervous system of an individual: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused temporary or permanent anosmia and ageusia in thousands of people. It was occasionally associated with a loss of nociception in the mouth too. A specific pattern of sensory loss or alteration is imperative to understand and predict the modality of the infection. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed, which included 252 participants of all age groups and communities. A questionnaire was circulated on social media through the means of a Google Form. Consent was obtained before posing the participants with questions. Results: The sensory loss was found to be the most prevalent in people with mild symptoms. About 65.2% of the participants showed a partial or a total loss in olfaction and 59.5% of them showed a loss in one or more tastes. About 44% of the participants showed a partial or a total loss of nociception. All of the altered sensations came back to normalcy after 2 weeks of the loss of sensation in the majority of the population. Besides the other symptoms, 15.5% of the participants experienced altered mental alertness. Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection was found to affect the olfaction, gustation, and nociception in the oral cavity (spice sensation). Mental alertness was also found to be altered in a small fraction of the population affected with SARS-CoV-2.