Presentation Details
| Prognosis of Chemosensory Recovery Among Long COVID-19 Patients - Objective Assessment at 3, 6 and 12 Month Follow-Ups Lauren Gastineau1, Joanne Xu1, Veronica Formanek1, Nidhi Jha 1, Shivani Patel 1, Christopher Simons2, Kai Zhao1. 1Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.2Department of Food Science and Technology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA |
Abstract
This ongoing study evaluates chemosensory recovery following post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). 37 subjects aged 30-84 (median: 57) who had contracted COVID-19 from February 2020 and October 2024 or 8 to 62 months (median: 37) were recruited. Patients received objective testing of 1) olfactory function using the 9-Item NIH Toolbox Odor Identification (ID) Test, odor detection threshold (ODT) to phenyl-ethyl alcohol (PEA); 2) taste function using the modified NIH toolbox; 3) chemesthetic function using menthol lateralization thresholds. All then completed a 3-month follow-up, while 22 completed a 6-month follow-up, and 16 completed a 12-month follow-up. At the initial visit, patients self-reported a high prevalence of smell (86%) and taste (73%) losses, with 62.5% of patients with confirmed objective smell loss, 81% with objective trigeminal losses, while only 15% confirmed objective taste loss. At the 3 and 6-month follow-up, patients exhibited significant improvements in objective smell (Odor ID, p<0.05), especially among patients with initial smell complaints, yet objective chemosensory losses remained high: at 3-month follow-up: smell 41%, taste 22%, nasal trigeminal 81%; 6-month follow-up: smell 59%, taste 27%, nasal trigeminal 82%. At the 12-month follow-up, 44% continue to exhibit smell loss, 63% trigeminal losses, while only 38% taste losses.These findings suggest significant fluctuation in chemosensory function following COVID-19 infection, with prognosis prolonged and uncertain, and self-report being unreliable, especially for taste loss.
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