Mohamed R, Alsuhibani R, Almasaoud H, Alsubhi S, Alabdulazeem L, Alzahrani N, Alsaif S, Al Ghamdi K, Al-Asoom L. Assessment of anosmia/hyposmia in post-COVID-19 patients: a cross-sectional study in an eastern province of Saudi Arabia.
ACTA BIO-MEDICA : ATENEI PARMENSIS 2023;
94:e2023259. [PMID:
38054673 PMCID:
PMC10734232 DOI:
10.23750/abm.v94i6.15130]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Background and aim It has been shown that olfactory dysfunction is one of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)common and puzzling symptoms that may persist weeks after the infection. This study aimed for the objective assessment of persisting olfactory dysfunction in post-COVID-19 patients. It also investigated the factors associated with the development of such symptoms in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
METHODS
A cross-sectional study that was conducted in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and forty-seven participants were included in this study, and sixty of them agreed to participate in the objective testing using the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfaction test.
RESULTS
There was a significant correlation between the following factors: (1) Persistence of anosmia/hyposmia and the time of onset of anosmia/hyposmia (P=0.015). (2) Persistence of anosmia/hyposmia and the duration of anosmia/hyposmia (P=0.012). (3) Duration of anosmia/hyposmia and the duration of COVID-19 symptoms (P=0.010). Interestingly, there was a significant association between the subjective participants' claim of anosmia/hyposmia and the score of their objective assessment (P=0.026).
CONCLUSION
The current study demonstrated that post-COVID-19 participants with delayed onset of anosmia/hyposmia and/or longer duration of either anosmia/hyposmia or COVID-19 symptoms were prone to have persistent olfactory dysfunction. Further studies are necessary to uncover the underlying pathophysiology and management of this olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients.
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