Gustatory Dysfunction
The subjective GD, which was defined by impairment of the following four
taste modalities: salty, sweet, bitter and sour,6 was
reported in 53.7% (N=1,164), 15.3% (N=22) and 7.1% (N=19) of mild,
moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients, respectively (Table
3). The prevalence of GD was significantly higher in mild patients
compared with moderate and severe-to-critical patients (p=0.001). Aroma
dysfunction (AD), which was defined as impairment of perception of
tasting flavors in food and/or drinks that are not salty, sweet, bitter
or sour (like chocolate, banana and fish), was evaluated in 2,105
patients. Among them, aroma perception was reduced in 1,116 patients
(53.0%), loss in 330 subjects (15.7%) and distorted in 330 patients
(15.7%). The overall prevalence of AD was 84.4%. AD concerned 80.7%
of mild patients, while moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19
patients had AD (distortion, reduction or loss) in 35.3% and 17.2% of
cases, respectively (Table 3). The prevalence of AD was significantly
higher in mild patients compared to moderate-to-critical (p=0.001).
The development of subjective GD was positively associated with the
presence of diabetes (p=0.001). Diabetes was also associated with the
development of AD (p=0.013). Patients with hypertension had a lower
proportion of AD (47.0%) compared with those without hypertension
(73.5%; p=0.003). Smokers reported more frequently AD (73.3%) compared
with non-smoking COVID-19 patients (67.3%; p=0.002). Among patients
with AD, non-smokers more frequently reported reduction of aroma
perception compared with smokers who reported total loss or distortion
of aroma perception.