Quality of Life in Post-COVID 19 patients with Persistent Olfactory Dysfunction.

Background  Olfactory disorders after SARS-CoV-2 infection can persist. The impact of this disorder on quality of life has not been adequately studied.

Methods  667 subjects (average age 48.2 years) were examined from 11.2020 to 06.2021 an average of 9.09 months after positive PCR testing. The olfactory function was determined using the Sniffin’ Sticks​ Test (SST). The chemosensory function was subjectively assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The SNOT-22 questionnaire was used to record the health-related quality of life in inflammatory diseases of the nasal mucosa. The Self-reported Mini Olfactory Questionnaire (Self-MOQ) and the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD) were used to assess olfactory related quality of life.

Results There is a significant rank difference in the SNOT-22 results between subjects with and without subjective olfactory dysfunction (OD). Patients with lower total SST, discrimination, and identification scores had worse outcomes in the nasal subdomain of SNOT-22 (p<0.001). Participants with tested and subjective OD showed significantly higher impairments on question 12 of the SNOT-22 (p<0.001). The QOD showed a significant rank difference in the results of subjects with and without subjective OD (p=0.001). There was a significant difference in rank in the s-MOQ scores between participants with and without tested OD (p<0.001) and with and without subjective OD (p<0.001).

Conclusion In contrast to COVID-19 patients without OD, COVID-19 patients with persistent OD experience a significantly poorer quality of life with regard to their olfactory function.

1. Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Christian-Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Deutschland 2. Abteilung für Pneumologie, Klinik für Innere Medizin 1, Christian-Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Deutschland 3. Institut für Epidemiologie, Christian-Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Deutschland

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023