Prevalence and Duration of Acute Loss of Smell or Taste in COVID-19 Patients
Top Cited Papers
Open Access
- 11 May 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Korean Academy of Medical Sciences in Journal of Korean Medical Science
- Vol. 35 (18), e174
- https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e174
Abstract
Initially, acute loss of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia) was not considered important symptoms for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To determine the prevalence of these symptoms and to evaluate their diagnostic significance, we (approximately 150 physicians of the Daegu Medical Association) prospectively collected data of cases of anosmia and ageusia from March 8, 2020, via telephone interview among 3,191 patients in Daegu, Korea. Acute anosmia or ageusia was observed in 15.3%(488/3,191) patients in the early stage of COVID-19 and in 15.7% (367/2,342) patients with asymptomatic-to-mild disease severity. Their prevalence was significantly more common among females and younger individuals (P= 0.01 and P< 0.001, respectively). Most patients with anosmia or ageusia recovered within 3 weeks. The median time to recovery was 7 days for both symptoms. Anosmia and ageusia seem to be part of important symptoms and clues for the diagnosis of COVID-19, particularly in the early stage of the disease.This publication has 18 references indexed in Scilit:
- Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in ChinaThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2020
- Self-reported Olfactory and Taste Disorders in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 Infection: A Cross-sectional StudyClinical Infectious Diseases, 2020
- Clinical course and outcomes of critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a single-centered, retrospective, observational studyThe Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2020
- High expression of ACE2 receptor of 2019-nCoV on the epithelial cells of oral mucosaInternational Journal of Oral Science, 2020
- [The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in China].2020
- Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, ChinaThe Lancet, 2020
- The olfactory nerve: a shortcut for influenza and other viral diseases into the central nervous systemThe Journal of Pathology, 2014
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection Causes Neuronal Death in the Absence of Encephalitis in Mice Transgenic for Human ACE2Journal of Virology, 2008
- Published by Georg Thieme Verlag KG