{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: The effect of post-COVID-19 on gustatory and olfactory function: A preliminary case-controlled study.
{Author}: Livni D;Grinstein-Koren O;Zlotogorski-Hurvitz A;Reiter S;Winocour-Arias O;Edel J;Goldman Y;Vered M;Choshen G;Rahamim-Cohen D;Shapiro-Ben David S;Kaplan I;
{Journal}: Oral Dis
{Volume}: 30
{Issue}: 3
{Year}: 04 2024 17
{Factor}: 4.068
{DOI}: 10.1111/odi.14567
{Abstract}: The aim of the study was to analyze objective and subjective olfactory/gustatory function in post-COVID-19 infection (PCI).<BR>Patients with past PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection and persistent olfactory/gustatory complaints were investigated. Olfactory threshold and identification, gustatory detection, identification, and magnitude scaling were tested.<BR>A total of 42 PCI subjects were compared to 41 age- and gender-matched controls with no COVID-19 history. All PCI tested had mild COVID-19 disease. Mean interval between COVID-19 confirmations to testing was 7.4 ± 3.1 months. PCI subjects complained of combined dysfunction in 85.7%, isolated olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in 7.1% each. Combined complaints were significantly higher in PCI (p < 0.001). Objective testing showed significantly higher prevalence of dysfunction in PCI versus controls for hyposmia (73.8%, 12.2%), anosmia (11.9%, 0%), odor identification (68.5%, 83.0%), hypogeusia (23% and 2.4%, respectively), and impaired magnitude scaling, (p < 0.05). All PCI subjects with hypogeusia had abnormal gustatory magnitude scaling.<BR>While most PCI subjects complained of combined gustatory and olfactory dysfunction, objective testing showed in the majority an isolated single sense dysfunction, with a low level of agreement between subjective and objective findings. Abnormal objective results for all olfactory and gustatory functions tested may suggest a central rather than peripheral mechanism, although concomitant mechanisms cannot be excluded.