LOSS OF ODOR AND TASTE IN COVID-19 PATIENTS
1Çukurova Devlet Hastanesi, KBB Anabilim Dalı, Adana, Türkiye2Ankara Şehir Hastanesi, KBB Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye Objective: The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has put a great strain on the healthcare system all over the world. For this reason, early identification of risk factors is very important in order to find a cost-effective, rapid and reliable method in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for the disease. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of loss of smell and taste on prognosis in patients with COVID-19.
Material and Methods: The study included patients between April 15, 2020 and April 15, 2021. 230 patients hospitalized or were diagnosed from the outpatient clinic in our hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and confirmed by rt-PCR test were included in the study. 200 patients were included in the study with exclusion criteria. The patients were divided into 2 groups as mild course followed by outpatient clinic (1st group) and severe course requiring hospitalization (2nd group). In the study, the groups were compared in terms of the presence of dysfunction of smell and taste, clinical prognosis of the disease, symptom severity, and comorbidities.
Results: A total of 200 patients, 78 men and 122 women, were included in the study. The mean age (range 17-81) was 39.5 in group 1 and 52.4 in group 2. In the first group, olfactory dysfunction was found in 58 patients and gustatory dysfunction was found in 57 patients. In group 2, olfactory dysfunction was found in 31 patients and gustatory dysfunction was found in 34 patients. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of loss of taste and smell. (p <0.05) (p= 0.0045 for gustatory dysfunction and p= 0.00065 for olfactory dysfunction)
Among the groups, the rate of hospitalization of the patients with comorbidity was higher than the patients without comorbidity. The difference between the groups in terms of fever, headache, myalgia, cough, and shortness of breath symptoms was statistically significant. (p<0.05)
Conclusion: Loss of smell and taste are good prognostic markers of the disease. Co-morbidities increase the rate of hospitalization and the severity of symptoms.
Keywords : COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; anosmia, loss of taste