Prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: a community care facility study

25, March 2021 | Bangladesh

Authors:

Abstract

Purpose We aim to study the prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction (OTD) in subjects residing in a Community Care Facility (CCF), a center unique to Singapore that is dedicated to isolate foreign workers with COVID-19 infection who have mild disease with minimal or no symptoms. Methods This is a cross-sectional study analyzing data prospectively collected from COVID-19-positive subjects who were admitted into a single-center Singapore EXPO CCF from 1st May 2020 to 1st July 2020. The following variables were col- lected: age, gender, ethnicity, anosmia, ageusia and acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms. Symptoms of anosmia and ageusia were self-declared via a mandatory questionnaire administered on admission. Results A total of 1983 subjects were included. The overall prevalence of anosmia and ageusia is 3.0% and 2.6%, respectively. 58% of anosmic subjects have co-existent ageusia and 72.6% of anosmic subjects have no concurrent sinonasal symptoms. OTD is less likely to present in subjects who are asymptomatic for ARI, compared to those symptomatic for ARI (anosmia: 2.0% versus 4.4% p=0.002; ageusia: 1.6% versus 4.2% p<0.001). There is a diference in the prevalence of OTD between the diferent ethnic groups (Indian, Chinese, Bangladeshi and Others), with Chinese and Bangladeshi reporting a higher prevalence (p<0.043) Conclusion The true prevalence of OTD in COVID-19-positive subjects may be low with aggressive screening of all subjects, including those asymptomatic for ARI.