Olfactory and taste disorders in healthcare workers with COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Purpose Severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by COVID-19 has spread globally for the last few months. Healthcare workers (HCW) are overexposed and infection rates are higher than in the rest of the population. Strict clinical assessment is paramount to detect suspicious cases. In this context, olfactory or taste dysfunction (OTD) appears as an early and frequent symptom. Evaluating its presence in early stages plays an important role nowadays. Methods We performed a descriptive observational single-center study among 256 HCW at Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada affected by COVID-19 and confirmed using RT-PCR. A telephonic interview was performed, after obtaining oral informed consent. Results OTD was present in up to 70% of the cases as an early symptom, including mild-to-severe cases. The extent of these sensory deficits lasted an average of 11 days. In 26% of the patients, these sensory alterations persisted for over a month. Conclusion OTD is reported as an early symptom among HCW with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Its strong association with test positivity is useful in the management of the infection and should be enough to indicate preventive isolation. We consider that OTD needs to be included in clinical screening questionnaires in HCW.

SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers at Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, spring 2020: Serosurvey, symptoms and risk factors

“…According with many other studies [ 16 , 17 , 19 , 35 , [38] , [39] , [40] ], in our data anosmia (complete among CoV(+) versus CoV(−) 55.6% versus 0.6%; partial 8.3% versus 6.5%) and ageusia (complete 38.9% versus 0.2%; partial 33.3% versus 6.0%) were strongly associated with CoV(+). The proportion of CoV(+) HCWs with olfactory and/or taste disorders varies greatly between studies: in an investigation by Lan et al 15.7% of the PCR-positive [ 41 ] and Lindahl et al 12.0% of the seropositive [ 17 ] show olfactory/taste disorders, whereas Villareal et al and Lombardi et al present considerably higher rates ranging from 70.0 to 76.9% [ 35 , 40 ] that accord with our data, where the respective figure is 77.1% for olfactory or taste disorders. Increasing awareness of these symptoms being related to Covid-19 and their suggested association with milder disease may account for the rates differing [ [42] , [43] , [44] ].…”

Anosmia and Ageusia as Predictive Signs of COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers in Italy: A Prospective Case-Control Study

“…These results partially contrast with those reported in a case control carried out in the general population in Singapore, in which none of the symptoms considered were predictive of positivity [5]. Our results agree with those reported by Vaira et al [13] in which chemo-sensitive disorders were self-reported by almost 75% of COVID-19 confirmed cases in a multicenter study in Italy; with those reported in HCWs by Villareal et al [14] in which olfactory or taste dysfunctions were present in 70% of patients and appeared as early symptoms; and with those reported by Brandstetter et al [15] in which anosmia was present in 51.6% of staff members of a major German children's and women's hospital.…”

Loss of Smell and Taste Can Accurately Predict COVID-19 Infection: A Machine-Learning Approach

“…Smell and taste disorders that are related to upper respiratory tract infections are caused by more than 200 viruses, of which, 10-15% are coronaviruses [ 5 ]. There is a need for studies that clarify the actual prevalence of smell and taste disorders in COVID-19, which vary from 5.1% to 87% in different studies [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], possibly due to ethnical and geographical differences [ 3 , 11 ]. Moreover, the symptoms of COVID-19 infection may overlap with those of other common diseases such as allergies or routine viral illnesses, making it difficult to distinguish between them.…”