Recovery of chemosensory function following COVID-19
Chemosensory loss is a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with up to 9 out of 10 patients experiencing deficits. The new study of Fjaeldstad aims of describe the rate of subjective improvement and recovery of chemosensory function in the weeks following confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Among 109 non-hospitalized patients, 95 reported a combined olfactory and gustatory loss. After mean of > 30 days after symptom debut, 28% of participants had not yet experienced any improvement of their olfactory function, whereas 44% had fully recovered from their olfactory loss. Corresponding numbers for gustatory function were 20% and 50%. The study concludes that olfactory and gustatory deficits after COVID-19 often persist for more than a month and are predominantly quantitative.
Original Article 01/08
