Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19
Objectives To assess the frequency of loss of smell and taste in children during Covid-19 infection and their prevalence along with other symptoms, as well as the recovery of chemosensory function once healed. Methods To evaluate symptoms during infection, we adapted the Scandinavian adaptation of t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Allergy & Rhinology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21526575221144950 |
| _version_ | 1828116907038867456 |
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| author | Piero Giuseppe Meliante MD Alessia Marcellino MD Roger Altomari MD Alessia Testa MD Andrea Gallo PhD Massimo Ralli MD Marco de Vincentiis MS Riccardo Lubrano PhD |
| author_facet | Piero Giuseppe Meliante MD Alessia Marcellino MD Roger Altomari MD Alessia Testa MD Andrea Gallo PhD Massimo Ralli MD Marco de Vincentiis MS Riccardo Lubrano PhD |
| author_sort | Piero Giuseppe Meliante MD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives To assess the frequency of loss of smell and taste in children during Covid-19 infection and their prevalence along with other symptoms, as well as the recovery of chemosensory function once healed. Methods To evaluate symptoms during infection, we adapted the Scandinavian adaptation of the Multi-Clinic Smell and Taste Questionnaire and the modified Monel-Jefferson questionnaire. For smell analysis we used Odor Identification (OI) and two variants of the Odor Discrimination (OD) test, and we compared the results with those of a control group. Results We enrolled nine patients in our experimental group and nine in our control group. Fever was the most frequent symptom (55% of cases), followed by anosmia and ageusia (44% of cases), muscle pain and asthenia (22% of cases) and diarrhea, abdominal pain, cough, and headache (11% of cases). In 11% of cases, olfactory symptoms were the only manifestation of the disease. There was no statistically significant difference in OI test and OD tests between the two groups (Children healed from Covid-19 and Control Group). Conclusion Loss of smell and taste are the second most common symptoms of pediatric Covid-19, and they should always be tested because they can be the only manifestations of infection. Olfactory function in Covid-19 children decreases with increasing age and improves with the passage of time after illness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:04:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-140c16fc019642e780e740e38e5eef4a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2152-6567 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:04:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Allergy & Rhinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-140c16fc019642e780e740e38e5eef4a2022-12-22T04:22:48ZengSAGE PublishingAllergy & Rhinology2152-65672022-12-011310.1177/21526575221144950Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19Piero Giuseppe Meliante MD0Alessia Marcellino MD1Roger Altomari MD2Alessia Testa MD3Andrea Gallo PhD4Massimo Ralli MD5Marco de Vincentiis MS6Riccardo Lubrano PhD7 Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, Pediatric and Neonatology Unit, Ospedale Goretti Polo Pontino, Rome, Italy Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, Pediatric and Neonatology Unit, Ospedale Goretti Polo Pontino, Rome, Italy Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, Pediatric and Neonatology Unit, Ospedale Goretti Polo Pontino, Rome, ItalyObjectives To assess the frequency of loss of smell and taste in children during Covid-19 infection and their prevalence along with other symptoms, as well as the recovery of chemosensory function once healed. Methods To evaluate symptoms during infection, we adapted the Scandinavian adaptation of the Multi-Clinic Smell and Taste Questionnaire and the modified Monel-Jefferson questionnaire. For smell analysis we used Odor Identification (OI) and two variants of the Odor Discrimination (OD) test, and we compared the results with those of a control group. Results We enrolled nine patients in our experimental group and nine in our control group. Fever was the most frequent symptom (55% of cases), followed by anosmia and ageusia (44% of cases), muscle pain and asthenia (22% of cases) and diarrhea, abdominal pain, cough, and headache (11% of cases). In 11% of cases, olfactory symptoms were the only manifestation of the disease. There was no statistically significant difference in OI test and OD tests between the two groups (Children healed from Covid-19 and Control Group). Conclusion Loss of smell and taste are the second most common symptoms of pediatric Covid-19, and they should always be tested because they can be the only manifestations of infection. Olfactory function in Covid-19 children decreases with increasing age and improves with the passage of time after illness.https://doi.org/10.1177/21526575221144950 |
| spellingShingle | Piero Giuseppe Meliante MD Alessia Marcellino MD Roger Altomari MD Alessia Testa MD Andrea Gallo PhD Massimo Ralli MD Marco de Vincentiis MS Riccardo Lubrano PhD Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 Allergy & Rhinology |
| title | Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 |
| title_full | Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 |
| title_fullStr | Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 |
| title_short | Smell and Taste in Children with Covid-19 |
| title_sort | smell and taste in children with covid 19 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21526575221144950 |
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