Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Laryngorhinootologie 2022; 101(S 02): S243-S244
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1747015
Poster
Rhinology: Olfaction / Gustology

Disorders of Taste and Olfaction by COVID-19-Patients- A functional and morphological Study

Pavlos Pavlidis
1   Papanikolaou-Klinikum, Thessaloniki, HNO Thessaloniki Greece
,
GregorAlexander Schittek
2   Medical University of Graz, Division of General Anaesthesiology, Emergency- and Intensive Care Medicine, Graz Austria
,
Evangelia Fouka
3   Papanikolaou-Klinikum, Pulmonary Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
,
Efstathios Spyridonidis
4   General Hospital Veria, Greece, Clinic of Internal Medicine, Veria Greece
,
Joulia Katsikari
5   General Hospital Veria, HNO-Klinik Veria Greece
,
Haralampos Gouveris
6   Universitätsklinikum Mainz, HNO-Klinik Mainz
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    Purpose We investigated the prevalence of smell and/or taste loss and the clinical characteristics and recovery in a cohort of consecutive patients treated by two COVID-19 reference hospitals and evaluated the late persistence of hyposmia.

    Material and Methods 53 consecutive RT-PCR diagnosed patients (23 males, 30 females, 42,54±10, 95 years) who had been hospitalized between January-June 2021 in the COVID-19 care wards were contacted, excluding patients with cognitive disorders and severe deconditioning. These patients (Group A) have been examined twice, once direct after leaving the hospital, and once again 4-6 weeks later. The patients’ nasal and oral mucosa (Fungiform Papillae on tongue’s tip-fPap) were examined with a contact endoscope. Their olfaction was also examined with Sniffin' Sticks. As control-group we have examined 53 healthy subjects (Group B).

    Results Significant alterations in form and vascularization of fPap have been detect, specially by the first examination. Patients EGM-Thresholds of both measurements are higher than those of healthy subjects, although those of the second one are clearly lower. The same results have been found using Schniffin’ Sticks.

    Discussion Our findings suggest that COVID-19 can produce a mild to profound neuropathy of multiple cranial nerves, which are responsible for the regeneration of fPap and the transmission of the chemical stimuli.


     

    Conflict of Interest

    The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

    Publikationsverlauf

    Artikel online veröffentlicht:
    24. Mai 2022

    © 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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