Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a threat to global health. Early diagnosis is an essential key to limit the outbreak of the virus. Study Design Case series, study conducted between March 25, 2020, and April 15, 2020. Setting Ambulatory, nonhospitalized patients who were quarantined in a designated hotel for COVID-19 patients and were recruited by an advertisement at the hotel. Subjects and Methods In total, 140 patients participated in a web-based questionnaire assessing initial symptoms of common viral diseases, olfactory and taste functions, xerostomia, and orofacial pain. Results A total of 58 men and 70 women participated. Initial symptoms were cough (59.4%), weakness (47.7%), myalgia (46.9%), fever (42.2%), headache (40.6%), impaired sense of smell (38.3%), impaired sense of taste (32.8%), sore throat (26.6%), runny nose (26.6%), and nasal congestion (22.7%). All symptoms were more frequent among women; however, only runny nose was statistically significant ( P = .018). The most common combination of symptoms was cough and weakness (37.5%). A total of 25.8% reported olfactory and taste dysfunctions in the absence of other symptoms. In a comparison between the sexes, cough and runny nose were the most common combination in women ( P = .018). A total of 38.3% of patients reported olfactory dysfunction as an initial symptom. Anosmia and facial pain were more common among women ( P < .001 and P = .01, respectively), and 56% of patients reported xerostomia. Conclusion A considerable number of patients presented with olfactory and oral disorders. Interestingly, women presented with a different cluster of symptoms than men, which may suggest a new clinical approach to diagnosing COVID-19 disease.

Purpose To investigate the recovery of loss of smell and taste among recovered COVID-19 patients. Materials and methods This cross-sectional follow-up study is a sequel to a study by Biadsee et al. Among the previous study population of 128 non-hospitalized patients, positive for COVID-19 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 97 patients participated in a survey designed for this study. Information and data regarding loss of smell and taste, rate of recovery, xerostomia, and additional symptoms; (Cough, Myalgia, Weakness, Rhinorrhea, Nasal congestion) were collected. Results A total of 43 men and 54 women were included. Mean age was 37.5 years (range 19–74). Mean follow-up was 229 days (range 191–253). Sixty-five patients reported gustatory dysfunction during the disease of which 61.5% reported full recovery, 38.5% partial recovery. Of 65 patients who reported olfactory impairment during the disease, 52% had full recovery and 48% reported partial recovery of olfactory function. Complete recovery of olfactory function was positively associated with full recovery of gustatory function ( p = 0.01). Gender did not significantly affect the recovery of OD and GD ( p = 0.45, p = 0.90, respectively). Patients who experienced olfactory dysfunction as an initial symptom had lower rates of olfactory complete recovery ( p = 0.043). Conclusion After a mean follow-up of 229 days, complete recovery of smell and taste functions occurred in 52% and 61.5%, respectively. However, dysfunction persisted in 48%–38.5% of patients.

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