Olfactory and taste disorders in COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in primary health care

Ferreira, Assel Muratovna Shigayeva; Nascimento, João Agnaldo do; Travassos, Letícia de Carvalho Palhano; Pernambuco, Leandro de Araújo

doi:10.1590/1806-9282.20231018

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Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Rev. Assoc. Med. Bras. 70 (2) • 2024 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20231018 copy

Olfactory and taste disorders in COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in primary health care

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

SUMMARY

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this study was to describe the occurrence of self-reported olfactory and taste disorders in non-hospitalized Brazilian adults who presented severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 infection symptoms and attended primary health care.

METHODS:

This cross-sectional study was based on a routine standardized diagnostic screening questionnaire applied in a Brazilian primary care facility. The olfactory and taste disorder occurrence was compared between severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive and severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-negative cases and described by age and sex.

RESULTS:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive patients had a higher proportion of self-reported olfactory and taste disorders, as compared with severe acute respiratory syndrome-negative (50.7%, vs. 20.6%, p<0.0001). Of all individuals with self-reported olfactory and taste disorder cases, 69% presented both olfactory and taste impairments, 13% olfactory only, and 17% taste only. In severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive cases, the frequency of olfactory and taste disorders was significantly higher among females as compared with males (71% vs. 34%). Additionally, people with olfactory and taste disorders were significantly younger in the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive group.

CONCLUSION:

Self-reported olfactory and taste disorders are highly common among non-hospitalized severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2-positive Brazilian people who attended the Family Health Care Unit. The co-occurrence of both self-reported olfactory and taste disorders was more frequent than self-reported olfactory or taste disorders alone.

KEYWORDS
COVID-19; Olfaction disorders; Taste disorders; Primary care

	SARS-CoV-2-positive	SARS-CoV-2-negative	OR [95%CI]	p-value^* SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2; OTDs: olfactory and taste disorders; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; IQR: interquartile range; SD: standard deviation;
	n=300	n=463
	n (%)	n (%)
Sex, male	169 (56.3%)	216 (46.7%)	–	<0.0001
Age in years (Median, IQR)	40.5 (18–89)	37.0 (18–80)	–
(Mean, SD)	41.6 (±13.8)	37.9 (±12.9)	–	<0.0001
OTDs, any	152 (50.7%)	96 (20.7%)	2.4 [1.98–3.01]	<0.0001
Olfactory (hyposmia/anosmia)	20 (6.7%)	20 (4.3%)	1.5 [0.84–2.81]	0.15
Taste (hypogeusia/ageusia)	27 (9.0%)	21 (4.5%)	2.0 [1.14–3.44]	0.01
Both OTDs	105 (35.0%)	55 (11.9%)	2.9 [2.20–3.94]	<0.0001

	SARS-CoV-2-positive				SARS-CoV-2-negative
	n=300				n=463
	OTDs		p-value	OR [95%CI]	OTDs		p-value	OR [95%CI]
	Yes	No	p-value	OR [95%CI]	Yes	No	p-value	OR [95%CI]
Sex, n (%)
Male	58 (34.3)	111 (65.7)	<0.001^* * chi-square test;	0.20 [0.12–0.33]	41 (19.0)	175 (81.0)	0.38	–
Female	94 (71.8)	37 (28.2)	<0.001^* * chi-square test;	0.20 [0.12–0.33]	55 (22.3)	192 (77.7)	0.38	–
Age
Mean (±SD)	39.66 (±13.9)	44.44 (±14.1)	0.003^ independent-samples t-test.	–	41.18 (±13.4)	38.25 (±14.3)	0.07	–

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[1] * Corresponding author: shigyassel@gmail.com