
Mild COVID-19 infections can cause a loss of tase and smell, but a study today in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery suggests that almost all cases resolve within 3 years of initial infection.
In the small cohort study, 88 patients with loss of smell and taste were compared to 88 controls. All participants had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by polymerase chain reaction during March and April of 2020 in Trieste, Italy, and were enrolled in the study from March to June 2021.
The prevalence of self-reported smell or taste dysfunction was 64.8% (57/88), 31.8% (28/88), 20.5% (18/88), and 15.9% (17/88), during the acute phase of COVID-19, at 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year follow-up, respectively, the authors noted. If participants were age 50 or younger at the time of enrollment, they were less likely to report long-lasting loss of taste or smell.
By year 3, there were no statistically significant excess of olfactory dysfunction (OD) between cases and controls (13.6% vs 10.2%; absolute difference, 3.4%; 95% confidence interval, −7.3% to 14.1%).
Patients with PCC [post COVID condition] exhibiting chemosensory alterations should be reassured that a recovery of olfaction appears to continue over 3 years after initial infection."
"At the 3-year study endpoint, OD was comparable between both groups," the authors wrote. "Patients with PCC [post COVID condition] exhibiting chemosensory alterations should be reassured that a recovery of olfaction appears to continue over 3 years after initial infection."