Summary: | Objective:To evaluate the smell and taste impairment in Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pediatric patients according to the disease severity.Method:Ninety polymerase chain reaction test-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled from January 2021 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into three main groups according to the stage of disease (stage 1: Outpatients, stage 2: Inpatients, stage 3: Intensive care unit patients). There were 30 pediatric patients in each group. Subjects were evaluated with a questionnaire. Visual analog scale was used to evaluate smell and taste impairment patients.Results:The impairment of smell and taste were evaluated separately, and the rates were found to be 31.1% and 35.6%, respectively. The impairment of smell showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.002). The rate of smell impairment in the outpatients was found to be significantly higher than in the patients treated in the intensive care unit. The taste impairment did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.109; p>0.01). Persistence of smell and taste impairment was found in 5.5% of the patients.Conclusion:The rate of smell impairment in the outpatients was found to be significantly higher than in the cases treated in the intensive care unit.
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