The following is a summary of “Determinants of persistence and recovery of chronic coronavirus disease 2019 chemosensory dysfunction,” published in the September 2024 issue of Allergy and Immunology by Minichetti et al.
Chemosensory dysfunction persists beyond 6 months in 2% to 4% of patients with COVID -19. Further exploration of predictors for recovery is needed.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to identify recovery predictors and assess chemosensory dysfunction in patients with persistent smell and taste issues after COVID -19.
They recruited 408 participants with COVID -19 CSD from the 4 major pandemic waves, who completed questionnaires at 4 time points between 2021 and 2023 to assess demographics, sinonasal symptoms, and self-assessed recovery. Objective measurements of smell (UPSIT) and taste (BWETT) were conducted on a subcohort of 108 participants.
The results showed an average symptom duration of 24 ± 5 months in the chronic chemosensory dysfunction cohort, with 70% of 2020 participants reporting ongoing dysfunction. Phantosmia and dysgeusia were most common in early pandemic waves, and many struggled to distinguish scents and flavors. Participants reported low sinonasal symptoms but high sleep and mood disturbances. Cigarette smoke phantosmia predicted persistent dysfunction, while environmental allergies and hypertension predicted recovery; dust mite allergies negatively affected cigarette smoke phantosmia. No treatment resolved dysfunction, though nasal steroids were effective for some. Objective measures of smell (UPSIT) and taste (BWETT) were significantly lower in patients with chronic CSD than in controls.
Investigators concluded that chronic COVID -19 chemosensory dysfunction was resistant to standard anti-inflammatory therapy, with environmental allergies and hypertension predicting recovery.
Source: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)00913-8/fulltext
