Short-Term Follow-Up of Self-Isolated COVID-19 Patients with Smell and Taste Dysfunction in Greece: Two Phenotypes of Recovery

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The course of anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 patients is not yet clearly known. We present short-term follow-up data concerning mild to moderate disease in home-quarantined COVID-19 patients in Greece. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We provided a symptom questionnaire and instructions for a self-administered home smell-and-taste test to 79 positive COVID-19 patients from 2 tertiary hospitals in Greece. The patients recorded their subjective symptoms before and during infection as well as 4 weeks after the diagnosis. The patients also underwent the home test during infection and 4 weeks later. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Twenty-nine patients (36.7%) reported a loss of smell, and 21 (27.8%) reported a loss of taste, with equal prevalences between genders. We observed 2 types of recovery, i.e., a rapid, almost complete recovery, and a second slower and partial recovery. The type of recovery was not age related. A rapid recovery was observed in two thirds of the patients, with their olfactory ratings presenting a trend towards significance in correlation with nasal obstruction. A slow recovery in olfaction was correlated with low intensity ratings in odors with a trigeminal compound. The loss of taste was more pronounced in sweet and salty intensity ratings. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Chemosensory deficits associated with COVID-19 infection were quite frequent among the Greek patients with mild or moderate disease who, in most cases, returned to normal within 4 weeks. However, 1 in 3 patients presented with persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in the short term.

Persistence of COVID-19 Symptoms after Recovery in Mexican Population

“…The results of this study on persistent symptoms in patients recovered from COVID-19 coincide with regional studies from other countries, such as those carried out in Italy, Germany, the United States and others [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Referring to the presence of a post-COVID syndrome in which symptoms persist with different frequency after recovering from their initial illness.…”

“…In Table 5 are listed the set of symptoms that were modeled, which are arranged in ascending order according to the RR value obtained. From the above evaluation using a logistic regression modeling approach, it is obtained that all the symptoms contribute giving a positive risk, therefore, symptoms reported in the literature as present or recurrent in patients recovered in different works [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] were selected to be evaluated independently, in terms of absolute as well as relative risk, in order to evaluate and compare persistent symptoms reported internationally. In Table 6 is presented the number of controls and recovered that suffers of one or more symptoms at the moment of the interview.…”

“…In the literature [ 22 ], it was expected that SARS-CoV-2 would induce a monophasic disease with at least transient immunity, however, in the face of suspicion of recurrence, or reactivation of COVID-19, after discharge, questions have arisen due to reports of persistence of symptoms, as shown in studies from China, the United States of America, France, Ireland, among others [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

“…However, in the literature, it seems to be used interchangeably, for example neurological and immunologic manifestations have also been described as part of the post-COVID syndrome [ 29 ]. Studies in Greece have also reported recovered cases of COVID-19, with persistent symptoms, anosmia and dysgeusia being common [ 28 ].…”

“…In the United Kingdom, a study was carried out in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, both those who required a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), and those hospitalized in the ward, finding asthenia, with a frequency of 72% in the ICU group and 60% in the ward group, dyspnea (65% in patients in the ICU group and 42% in the ward group), in addition they found psychological alterations in both groups [ 28 ].…”