The Effects of Persistent Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions on Quality of Life in Long-COVID-19 Patients
Open Access
- 19 January 2022
- Vol. 12 (2), 141
- https://doi.org/10.3390/life12020141
Abstract
(1) Background: Persistent olfactory (POD) and gustatory (PGD) dysfunctions are one of the most frequent symptoms of long-Coronavirus Disease 2019 but their effect on the quality of life (QoL) of patients is still largely unexplored. (2) Methods: An online survey was administered to individuals who reported to have had SARS-CoV-2 infection at least 6 months prior with persisting COVID-19 symptoms (using the COVID symptom index), including ratings of POD and PGD, and their physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) components of quality of life were assessed using the standardized short form 12 questionnaire (SF-12). (3) Results: Responses from 431 unique individuals were included in the analyses. The most frequent persistent symptoms were: fatigue (185 cases, 42.9%), olfactory dysfunction (127 cases, 29.5%), gustatory dysfunction (96 cases, 22.3%) and muscle pain (83 cases, 19.3%). Respondents who reported persisting muscle pain, joint pain, fatigue, headache, gastrointestinal disturbances, and dyspnea had significantly worse PCS. Those experiencing persistent fatigue and dyspnea also showed significantly lower MCS. Respondents reporting POD or PGD showed significantly worse QoL, but only pertaining to the MCS. Multiple regressions predicted MCS based on olfactory and marginally on gustatory ratings, but not PCS. Age significantly affected the prediction of PCS but not MCS, and gender and temporal distance from the COVID-19 diagnosis had no effect. (4) Conclusions: POD and PGD are frequent symptoms of the long-COVID-19 syndrome and significantly reduce QoL, specifically in the mental health component. This evidence should stimulate the establishment of appropriate infrastructure to support individuals with persistent CD, while research on effective therapies scales up.Keywords
This publication has 90 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Mental Component of the Short-Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12) as a Measure of Depressive Disorders in the General Population: Results with Three Alternative Scoring MethodsValue in Health, 2013
- Olfaction, pheromones and lifeThe Journal of Laryngology & Otology, 2013
- Health‐related and specific olfaction‐related quality of life in patients with chronic functional anosmia or severe hyposmiaThe Laryngoscope, 2011
- A Comparison of SF-36 and SF-12 Composite Scores and Subsequent Hospitalization and Mortality Risks in Long-Term Dialysis PatientsClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2010
- Unexplained Fatigue Syndromes in a Multinational Primary Care Sample: Specificity of Definition and Prevalence and Distinctiveness From Depression and Generalized AnxietyAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2003
- Subjective health status assessment: evaluation of the Italian version of the SF-12 Health Survey. Results from the MiOS ProjectJournal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 2001
- A Comparative Review of Generic Quality-of-Life InstrumentsPharmacoEconomics, 2000
- Cross-Validation of Item Selection and Scoring for the SF-12 Health Survey in Nine Countries: Results from the IQOLA ProjectJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1998
- A 12-Item Short-Form Health SurveyMedical Care, 1996
- Recall bias in epidemiologic studiesJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 1990