Hyposmia in COVID-19: Temporal Recovery of Smell: A Preliminary Study
<i>Background and Objectives</i>: Hypo/anosmia is a characteristic symptom of COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the time of smell recovery and to identify a possible order of perception recovery of different odors in COVID-19 patients. <i>Materials and Met...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Medicina |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/59/9/1511 |
| Summary: | <i>Background and Objectives</i>: Hypo/anosmia is a characteristic symptom of COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the time of smell recovery and to identify a possible order of perception recovery of different odors in COVID-19 patients. <i>Materials and Methods</i>: A prospective observational study was conducted on not hospitalized COVID-19 patients, selected according to eligible criteria. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee. A questionnaire formulated by our team was submitted to patients in order to know the duration of the hypo/anosmia and hypo/ageusia and the order of odor recovery: vanillin (mixed olfactory/gustatory substances), phenyl ethyl alcohol (rosewater) (pure olfactory substances), eucalyptol (mixed olfactory/trigeminal substances), and eugenol (mixed olfactory/trigeminal/gustatory substances). <i>Results</i>: 181 patients were included. Hypo/ageusia and hypo/anosmia lasted on average 10.25 (±8.26) and 12.8 (±8.80) days, respectively. The most frequent odor recovery sequence was: (1) phenyl ethyl alcohol; (2) eucalyptol; (3) vanillin; and (4) eugenol. In COVID-19 patients, hypo/anosmia occurs more often in women and at a young age. <i>Conclusions</i>: This preliminary investigation highlighted novel data: there is a chronological order in perception recovery of different olfactory substances and, therefore, in the restoration of the various sensitive nerve pathways involved in the sense of smell. |
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| ISSN: | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |