Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes chemosensory dysfunction.
To determine the characteristics of chemosensory dysfunction and to identify factors associated with chemosensory complete recovery and time to recovery.
This cross-sectional study included all patients presenting with chemosensory dysfunction and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from May to August 2020 who underwent telemedicine follow-up after 1 year to assess their chemosensory recovery.
A total of 372 patients were included, of which 53.8% were male. The mean age ± SD was 37.45 ± 13.44. The majority experienced combined (olfactory and gustatory) dysfunction (85.7%), and 315 patients (84.7%) had complete loss of chemosensory function. The independent predictors associated with a low likelihood of complete recovery were parosmia (aOR 0.16,
< .001), upper respiratory tract symptoms (aOR 0.28,
= .001), and dyspnoea (aOR 0.21,
< .001), whereas the factors associated with a long recovery period were parosmia (aOR 12.04,
= .002), headache (aOR 7.19,
= .007), and hypertension (aOR 7.76,
= .039).
A full recovery outcome was predominant. The presence of parosmia was linked to both an incomplete recovery and a long time to recovery.
Parosmia and respiratory symptoms are implicated in the incomplete recuperation of chemosensory function.