Anosmia Testing as Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Positivity; A Prospective Study under Screening Conditions
Frederic Jungbauer,
Catharina Gerhards,
Margot Thiaucourt,
Michael Behnes,
Nicole Rotter,
Angela Schell,
Verena Haselmann,
Michael Neumaier,
Maximilian Kittel
Affiliations
Frederic Jungbauer
Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head- and Neck-Surgery, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Catharina Gerhards
Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Margot Thiaucourt
Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Michael Behnes
German Center for Cardiovascular Research, First Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, University Medical Centre Mannheim (UMM), University of Heidelberg, DZHK, Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Nicole Rotter
Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head- and Neck-Surgery, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Angela Schell
Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head- and Neck-Surgery, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Verena Haselmann
Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Michael Neumaier
Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Maximilian Kittel
Institute for Clinical Chemistry, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
Sudden onset of anosmia is a phenomenon often associated with developing COVID-19 disease and has even been described as an initial isolated symptom in individual cases. In this case-control study, we investigated the feasibility of this condition as a suitable screening test in a population at risk. We performed a prospective study with a total of 313 subjects with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. In parallel to routine PCR analysis, a modified commercial scent test was performed to objectify the presence of potential anosmia as a predictor of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Furthermore, a structured interview assessment of the participants was conducted. A total of 12.1% of the study participants had molecular genetic detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the nasopharyngeal swab. It could be demonstrated that these subjects had a significantly weaker olfactory identification performance of the scents. Further analysis of the collected data from the scent test and medical history via random forest (Boruta) algorithm showed that no improvement of the prediction power was achieved by this design. The assay investigated in this study may be suitable for screening general olfactory function. For the screening of COVID-19, it seems to be affected by too many external and internal biases and requires too elaborate and selective pre-test screening.
