Anosmia and Ageusia Associated With Coronavirus Infection (COVID 19) What Is Known?
Anosmia and Ageusia Associated With Coronavirus Infection (COVID 19) What Is Known?
Anosmia and Ageusia Associated With Coronavirus Infection (COVID 19) What Is Known?
DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8808
Abstract. In 2020 a new pandemic caused by the SARS‑CoV‑2 for approximately 262,000 deaths so far as reported by World
coronavirus is affecting the lives of millions of patients and Health Organisation (WHO) (1).
healthcare workers worldwide. The clinical picture of this SARS‑CoV‑2 belongs to the coronaviridae family
infection is in a dynamic process of discovery, and more alongside with SARS‑CoV and MERS‑CoV, and it has a
symptoms emerge as the clinicians observe and diagnose single‑stranded RNA genome (2). The coronavirus invasion
manifestations that affect multiple organs. Anosmia (loss of of the target cells is mediated by a transmembrane spike
smell), and ageusia (loss of taste) become more frequently glycoprotein (S). It has two subunits: S1, for binding to the
cited as independent symptoms or in association with the most host cell receptors, and S2, for the fusion process with the
common manifestations of the disease, such as fever, cough host cell membrane. These subunits will remain in a prefu-
and dyspnea. A thorough screening program will prevent most sion conformation after specific protease cleavage, with the
nosocomial and community‑acquired infections by promoting distal S1 subunit comprising the receptor‑binding domains
efficient triage and specific measures such as isolation of (RBD), specifically involved in recognition of human
the patients. Therefore, it is important to include frequent angiotensin‑converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) (3,4). The S protein
symptoms in the anamnesis and questionnaires to select those will be further cleaved by host proteases and activated for
patients who might benefit from testing, isolation, and treat- the membrane fusion. Due to the peripheral location of S
ment. This study summarizes the existing data regarding the proteins, they are the main target for neutralizing antibodies
association of anosmia and ageusia with the SARS‑CoV‑2 and for new developing therapies (3,5).
infection. It also aims to describe manifestations of these, The ACE2 is a functional receptor for the SARS‑CoV‑2
particularly in the clinical picture of all symptomatic patients. and has a ubiquitous distribution into the human body, but its
expression is higher in the nasal mucosa, lung parenchyma, and
Introduction gastrointestinal tract (6). Some studies suggest a possible link
between smoking and enhanced expression of ACE2 recep-
The new coronavirus, SARS‑CoV‑2, determined a highly tors (7), thus, smoking could be a risk factor that increases the
contagious zoonosis in the eastern Asian countries that rapidly susceptibility of the patient to contact the new coronavirus.
transformed into an ongoing pandemic worldwide, accounts SARS‑Cov‑2 is a highly transmissible virus with an incu-
bation period of approximately 14 days, with a median time of
4‑5 days from exposure to symptoms onset (8‑10). It has been
stipulated that the viral transmission is through the droplets,
Correspondence to: Dr Dan Bogdan Navolan, Department of direct contact, contact with an infected individual, fecal, oral,
Obstetrics and Gynecology, ‘Victor Babes’ University of Medicine and body fluid routes (11‑13).
and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Sq no. 2, 300041 Timisoara, Romania The most typical symptoms experienced by the patients
E‑mail: navolan@yahoo.com were fever (83‑99%), cough (59‑82%), fatigue (44‑70%),
Dr Carmen Manciuc, Department of Infectious Diseases, ‘Grigore anorexia (40‑84%), shortness of breath (31‑40%), sputum
T. Popa’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Universitatii 16, production (28‑33%) and myalgias (11‑35%) (14‑16). Less
700115 Iasi, Romania common symptoms reported include headache, confusion,
E‑mail: dmanciuc@yahoo.com rhinorrhea, sore throat, hemoptysis, vomiting, and diarrhea
(<10%) (15,16).
Key words: coronavirus, SARS‑CoV‑2, COVID‑19, anosmia, Anosmia (loss of smell), ageusia (loss of taste), acro-
ageusia syndroms (cutaneous manifestations due to vasomotor
disturbances), and skin rashes have also been reported,
and more data are needed to understand better their role in
TANASA et al: ANOSMIA AND AGEUSIA IN COVID-19 INFECTION 2345
found a substantially higher prevalence of olfactory and gusta- receptor, and recovery rates of olfactory and gustative dysfunc-
tory dysfunction in European COVID‑19 patients. More, the tion, and specific treatment protocols of these manifestations.
olfactory disorder may appear before the rest of the complaints. Anosmia and ageusia are symptoms that require further
They identified a significant association between olfactory and investigation during a clinical consultation, due to the
gustatory dysfunctions. increasing evidence of their association with the new coro-
In a cross‑sectional study by Bagheri et al (36), navirus. Careful screening and prevention must be offered to
10,069 participants responded to an online checklist that avoid nosocomial and community infection.
evaluated the sense of smell and taste. The results indicated
a significant correlation between anosmia and SARS‑CoV‑2 Acknowledgements
infection, decreased taste sensation, and decreased quality of
life. Not applicable.
We found numerous validated questionnaires and tests for
assessing anosmia and ageusia. However, more data are needed Funding
to provide quantitative data on the incidence and severity of
these symptoms in association with SARS‑CoV‑2 infection. No funding was received.
According to a report of the French Society of Otolaryngology, All data generated or analyzed during this study are included
patients must avoid corticosteroids for the treatment of the in this published article.
SARS‑CoV‑2 infection (37).
On the other hand, clinicians frequently use empirical Authors' contributions
oral steroids for the treatment of anosmia, to decrease inflam-
mation and edema. We suggest that individualized case IAT and DN designed the study. IAT, DN and AC retrieved
management and treatment should be applied, considering the the data. CM, AC and DBN contributed to data extraction and
increased risks of immunosuppression associated with these quality assessment. CM, DBN and REB were responsible for
drugs. the analysis and discussion of data. IAT and DN drafted the
The relative risk seems to be reduced in the case of intra- manuscript. CM, AC, DBN and REB revised critically the
nasal steroids use. Here, the main concern is the exacerbation manuscript and made substantial intellectual contributions to
of an upper respiratory tract viral infection (38). the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Lechien et al (24) reported that the most frequently used
treatments for olfactory dysfunction in SARS‑CoV‑2 infected Ethics approval and consent to participate
patients were nasal saline irrigations, followed by nasal and
oral corticosteroids. As for gustatory dysfunction, clinicians Not applicable.
used l‑carnitine or trace elements and vitamins.
Smell training is a simple, safe, and readily available Competing interests
method in the context of social distancing for smell recovery
in different forms of anosmia (39‑41). The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
There is no therapeutic regime for ageusia. The condition
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