Short communication
Features of anosmia in COVID-19

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medmal.2020.04.006Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Fifty-four of 114 patients (47%) with confirmed COVID-19 reported anosmia.

  • There is no inpatient cohort about COVID-19-related anosmia in the medical literature. In our study, 37% of our patients were hospitalised. To our knowledge, our study is the main monocentric cohort of confirmed COVID-19 patients with anosmia in France and in the medical literature.

  • Our data is strong due to a standardised follow-up for non-hospitalised and discharged patients. Patients were called seven days (± 7 days) after the first symptoms and every week until recovery (national guidelines recommended a home follow-up for patients with COVID-19).

  • Our results are similar to the recent multicentric European study conducted by Lechien et al.

Abstract

Background

Medical publications about anosmia with COVID-19 are scarce. We aimed to describe the prevalence and features of anosmia in COVID-19 patients.

Methods

We retrospectively included COVID-19 patients with anosmia between March 1st and March 17th, 2020. We used SARS-CoV-2 real time PCR in respiratory samples to confirm the cases.

Results

Fifty-four of 114 patients (47%) with confirmed COVID-19 reported anosmia. Mean age of the 54 patients was 47 (± 16) years; 67% were females and 37% were hospitalised. The median Charlson comorbidity index was 0.70 (± 1.6 [0–7]). Forty-six patients (85%) had dysgeusia and 28% presented with pneumonia. Anosmia began 4.4 (± 1.9 [1–8]) days after infection onset. The mean duration of anosmia was 8.9 (± 6.3 [1–21]) days and 98% of patients recovered within 28 days.

Conclusions

Anosmia was present in half of our European COVID-19 patients and was often associated with dysgeusia.

Keywords

COVID-19
Anosmia
Dysgeusia

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