Impact of Systemic Diseases on Olfactory Function in COVID-19 Infected Patients

Abstract

Ayat A Awwad,1 Osama MM Abd Elhay,2 Moustafa M Rabie,3 Eman A Awad,4 Fatma M Kotb,4 Hend M Maghraby,4 Rmadan H Eldamarawy,4 Yahia MA Dawood,1 Mostafa IEI Balat,1 Ahmed IM Hasan,5 Ahmed H Elsheshiny,6 Said SMM El Sayed,2 Albayoumi AB Fouda,2 Ahmad MF Alkot2 1Otorhinolaryngology department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Medical Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Public Health and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 4Internal medicine department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 5Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 6Neurology department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Ayat A Awwad, Otorhinolaryngology department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Al Zhraa University Hhospital, Alabasia, Cairo, 11517, Egypt, Email [email protected]; [email protected] Osama MM Abd Elhay, Medical Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV) is now a major public health threat to the world. Olfactory dysfunctions (ODs) are considered potential indicating symptoms and early case identification triaging for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The most common reported comorbidities are diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate prevalence of different types of smell disorders in patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection and impact of involved systemic diseases.Methodology: A cross-sectional retrospective study has been done for patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection (mild-to-moderate). The data collected from patient’s files and developed online electronic questionnaire (WhatsApp) based on the patients most common and recurrent reported data including: a) symptoms of olfactory dysfunction and associated covid19 symptoms fever and headache, cough, sore throat, pneumonia, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, arthralgia and myalgia and taste dysfunction. b) Associated systemic diseases including: diabetes, hypertension, asthma, chronic renal disease, chorionic liver disease and hypothyroidism.Results: Of 308 patients confirmed with Covid-19 infection, (72.4%) developed OD distributed as follows; complete anosmia (57.8%), troposmia (8.4%), hyposmia (2.9%), partial anosmia (2.6%) and euosmia (0.6%). Significantly increased prevalence of diabetes, hypertension asthma in the group with olfactory dysfunction (p < 0.001), chronic liver disease (p = 0.005), and hypothyroidism (p = 0.03).Conclusion: The development of ODs after Covid-19 infection was associated with mild disease form and lower hospitalization. In addition, it showed significant relationship with preexisting systemic diseases. Anosmia is the common modality of ODs.Keywords: COVID-19, anosmia, olfactory dysfunction

Keywords

• covid 19
• anosmia
• olfactory dysfunction.