High prevalence of long-term olfactory disorders in healthcare workers after COVID-19: A case-control study

Author:

Frasnelli Johannes,Tognetti Arnaud,Winter Anja L.,Thunell Evelina,Olsson Mats J.,Greilert Nina,Olofsson Jonas K.,Havervall Sebastian,Thålin Charlotte,Lundström Johan N.ORCID

Abstract

Background More than a year after recovering from COVID-19, a large proportion of individuals, many of whom work in the healthcare sector, still report olfactory dysfunctions. However, olfactory dysfunction was common already before the COVID-19 pandemic, making it necessary to also consider the existing baseline prevalence of olfactory dysfunction. To establish the adjusted prevalence of COVID-19 related olfactory dysfunction, we assessed smell function in healthcare workers who had contracted COVID‐19 during the first wave of the pandemic using psychophysical testing. Methods Participants were continuously tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG antibodies since the beginning of the pandemic. To assess the baseline rate of olfactory dysfunction in the population and to control for the possibility of skewed recruitment of individuals with prior olfactory dysfunction, consistent SARS-CoV‐2 IgG naïve individuals were tested as a control group. Results Fifteen months after contracting COVID‐19, 37% of healthcare workers demonstrated a quantitative reduction in their sense of smell, compared to only 20% of the individuals in the control group. Fifty-one percent of COVID‐19‐recovered individuals reported qualitative symptoms, compared to only 5% in the control group. In a follow-up study 2.6 years after COVID-19 diagnosis, 24% of all tested recovered individuals still experienced parosmia. Conclusions In summary, 65% of healthcare workers experienced parosmia/hyposmia 15 months after contracting COVID-19. When compared to a control group, the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction in the population increased by 41 percentage points. Parosmia symptoms were still lingering two-and-a half years later in 24% of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. Given the amount of time between infection and testing, it is possible that the olfactory problems may not be fully reversible in a plurality of individuals.

Funder

Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation

Stiftelsen Bygg-Göta för Vetenskaplig forskning

Swedish Heart Lung Foundation

Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Reference37 articles.

1. Recent Smell Loss Is the Best Predictor of COVID-19 Among Individuals With Recent Respiratory Symptoms;RC Gerkin;Chem Senses,2021

2. SARS-CoV-2 exposure, symptoms and seroprevalence in healthcare workers in Sweden;A-S Rudberg;Nat Commun,2020

3. Alteration of Smell and Taste in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients in Sicily, Italy;MR Bianco;Ear Nose Throat J,2021

4. More Than Smell-COVID-19 Is Associated With Severe Impairment of Smell, Taste, and Chemesthesis;V Parma;Chem Senses,2020

5. Persisting chemosensory impairments in 366 healthcare workers following COVID-19: an 11-month follow-up;N Bussiere;Chem Senses,2022

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3