Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions in Patients With COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 isspreading all over the world.The main symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough,fatigue, and myalgia. However, there are few reports onolfactoryand gustatory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19.Objective: To investigate the incidence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, in Wuhan, China.Methods:In this retrospective study,we collected 81 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, from February 2020 to March 2020, and analyzed the demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations (including olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions), laboratory findings,and comorbidities.Results: A total of 81 confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolledin this study (38 males). The most prevalent symptoms include cough, myalgia, and loss of appetite. On admission, 25 (30.9%) of all patients reported either olfactory dysfunction (OD) or gustatory dysfunction (GD), and 7 (8.6%) reported both OD and GD. 13.6% and 25.9% of allpatients reported OD and GD, respectively. OD and GD were not associated with disease severity. Pearson correlation analysisidentified some factors are positively correlated with OD and GD, including headache or dizziness (r = 0.342, P = 0.002), dark urine (r = 0.256, P = 0.021), IgM titer (r = 0.305, P = 0.01), and diabetes (r = 0.275, P = 0.013). In 81.8% of the cases with OD and 28.6% of the cases with GD, the symptomslasted for at least 1 month after discharge.3.6% of inpatients without OD developed OD after discharge.Conclusion:OD and GDare common in COVID-19.These symptoms appear early during thecourse of disease, and may last for at least 1 month.The incidence of OD and GDisrelated to neurological manifestations, diabetics, and IgM titers.