Smell and taste impairment in young adults with COVID-19


DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/therapy.2022.1.28-34

Izmozherova N.V., Popov A.A., Shambatov M.A., Baksheev I.Yu.

1) Ural State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia, Ekaterinburg; 2) Bonum Multidisciplinary Clinical Medical Center, Ekaterinburg
Abstract. Smell and taste impairment are among the most common symptoms of COVID-19.
Aim: to assess the patterns of olfactory and taste disorders associated with COVID-19 infection and their relationship with the clinical course of the disease.
Material and methods. The cross-sectional survey enrolled 10348 young adults who had experienced taste and smell impairment during the COVID-19 epidemic. The patients were interviewed using an online questionnaire specially developed for the purposes of the work. The sampling has been stratified according to the severity of the disease course: mild (Group 1), moderate (Group 2), and severe (Group 3).
Results. 7964 (77%) females and 2384 (23%) males aged from 20 to 40 were enrolled. The median age was 29 (24–36) for females and 29 (24–34) for males. A mild disease course was reported in 8454 (81,6%) cases, an average severity course was registered in 1486 (14,4%) respondents, and there were 408 (4%) cases of more than 50% bilateral polysegmental lung tissue involvement. Complete anosmia and ageusia was noted by 7225 (69,8%) respondents, insolated anosmia had occurred in 2641 (25,5%) cases, and 78 (0,7%) patients noted ageusia without olfactory dysfunction. Significant differences in the frequency of restoration of taste and smell in COVID-19 patients with different course severity were revealed. Before the disease onset, 534 respondents reported non-compliance with the recommended measures of self-isolation and respiratory protection, 1841 respondents continued to work out of home and use personal protection masks, 7846 persons reported a transition to remote job regime and use of individual masks when visiting public places.
Conclusion. The development of taste and olfactory sense disorders in young patients with COVID-19 was associated with the disease course severity. Patients with severe coronavirus infection were significantly more likely to have a simultaneous violation of taste and smell, patients with mild and moderate severity were more likely to have anosmia without taste impairment. By the month since the disease onset, every other patient with mild disease course still retained complete or partial anosmia and ageusia. The subjects with moderate and severe COVID-19 course more often noted the restoration of taste and sense of smell by the end of the Month 1. The rate of recovery of taste and smell in young patients with COVID-19 was associated with the severity of the disease and compliance with self-isolation measures.
Keywords: patient reported outcomes, dysgeusia, ageusia, parosmia, anosmia, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19
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About the Autors

Nadezhda V. Izmozherova, MD, associate professor, head of the Department of pharmacology and clinical pharmacology, Ural State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia, Chief freelance specialist – clinical pharmacologist of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Sverdlovsk Region. Address: 620000, Ekaterinburg, 17 Klyuchevskaya Str. E-mail: nadezhda_izm@mail.ru.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-78269657
Artem A. Popov, MD, associate professor, head of the Department of hospital therapy and emergency medicine, Ural State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia. Address: 620149, Ekaterinburg, 34 Serafimy Deryabinoy Str. E-mail: art_popov@mail.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6216-2468
Muraz A. Shambatov, postgraduate student at the Department of pharmacology and clinical pharmacology, Ural State Medical University of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia. Address: 620000, Ekaterinburg, 17 Klyuchevskaya Str. E-mail: Muraz.shambatov@rambler.ru. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7312-415X
Ivan Yu. Baksheev, ophthalmologist at Bonum Multidisciplinary Clinical Medical Center. Address: 620149, Ekaterinburg, 9а Akademika Bardina Str. E-mail: xrayseven1@gmail.com.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1613-8704


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