Abstract
Background: Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) infection has been announced as a global health problem nowadays. The loss of smell and taste are frequent complains of COVID-19 patients. However, the exact mechanism underlying these manifestations remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, identify potential risk factors and detect recovery of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in confirmed COVID-19 patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on confirmed COVID-19 patients in KSA. The study recruited patients of both sexes, aged 18 and above, and clinically stable. All participants are invited to complete an electronic questionnaire to give data on their age, sex, comorbidities, general and otolaryngologic symptoms and olfactory and gustatory status, and the recovery of this presentation. Results: The study recruited 428 confirmed COVID-19 patients. Of these 15.4% were health care workers, 20.3% were smokers, 8.6% had asthma and chest diseases, 6.1% were diabetic and 10.7% had recurrent inflammations. Loss of smell/taste was reported by 75.2% of patients, with 13.1% had loss of smell only, 5.8% had loss of taste only and 56.3% had both. Complete improvement of smell/taste disorders was reported by 51.2%. The duration needed for improvement was 1 week in 32.2%, >3 weeks in 34.4%. Non improvement was reported by 14.3% and was more likely in younger patients (18-25 years). Other reported COVID-19 manifestations were fever (63.8%), tiredness and body ache (61.2%), headache (59.1%), sore throat (30.4%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (21.1%). Conclusion: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions are common presentation of COVID-19 infection in KSA. They might present early and without other symptoms, which can help in diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.