Objectives: We performed a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions (OGDs) among patients infected with novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Background: COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on December 31, 2019. The identified symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, sore throat, dyspnea, fatigue, myalgia, and headache. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are emerging as a new symptom. They may occur in many situations related to nerve damage, autoimmune disease, malignancy, radiotherapy, inflammation, hormone imbalance, psychologic problems, ageing, etc…
Patients and Methods: The study enrolled 200 patients diagnosed as having COVID-19 infection confirmed by PCR.
Results: Age ranged from 21 to 60 years with mean 32.41 years. Fifty nine percent of the studied patients aged 28 years and more, 42.5% of our patients were males and 57.5% of them were females. Our patients had positive PCR for COVID-19. Lymphopenia was present in 70.5% of them. Olfactory and gustatory impairment were prevailed in 79% of the patients. There is statistically non-significant association between presence of olfactory and gustatory impairment and all of gender, age group, lymphopenia or presence of local or systemic diseases. Females, aged from <28 years, lymphopenia, and systemic diseases non-significantly increased risk.
Relation between patient's results and types of graft used showed no statistically significant differences between them.
Conclusion: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction are common in patients with COVID-19 and may represent early symptoms in the clinical course of infection.