Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions as Prognostic Factors in Patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Virus

Background: COVID-19 neurologic symptoms such as anosmia and ageusia are considered the most challenging issues for patients in the first steps of viral infection. Herein, we aimed to investigate the olfactory and gustatory dysfunction and their association with prognostic factors in patients with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: The current retrospective study was performed on patients admitted to a hospital with a definite diagnosis of COVID-19 between March and November 2020. Based on the study criteria, information of 150 eligible participants (89 males and 61 females) was completely collected. The olfactory and gustatory symptoms including anosmia, hyposmia, ageusia, and dysgeusia were assessed, and five main COVID-19 prognostic factors including level of D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), lymphocyte count (LC), lactic acid dehydrogenase (LDH) and COVID-19 related lung involvement were measured.
Results: Among all patients, 102 (68%) participants were completely treated and 48 (32%) died. Compared to treated patients, all prognostic factors including CRP, LDH, LC, D-dimer, and lung involvement were significantly higher in death cases. We found that 97 (64.7%) patients experienced at least one olfactory or gustatory dysfunction. The level of CRP, LC, D-dimer, and lung involvement showed a better prognosis among patients with at least one sensory dysfunction. Moreover, a better outcome was observed in patients with sensory dysfunction.
Conclusion: It can be concluded the evaluation of CRP, LDH, D-dimer, and LC together with the HRCT scan score contributes to a better prognosis in COVID-19 patients with sensory dysfunction.