Objectives/hypothesis: This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory status in children with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 using subjective and psychophysical methods.
Study design: Prospective clinical cross-sectional study.
Methods: This is a prospective clinical cross-sectional study of 79 children with COVID-19. The 21st item of SNOT-22 questionnaire and odor identification test were used for smell assessment. Children were examined twice during the hospitalization, and a telephone survey was conducted 60 days after hospital discharge.
Results: Immediately after confirmation of COVID-19, smell impairment was detected in 86.1% of children by means of the Identification test and in 68.4% of children by means of the survey (P = .010). After 5 days survey revealed a statistically significant decrease in the number of patients with hyposmia (41 out of 79, 51.9%). On the first visit, the mean Identification test score corresponded to "hyposmia" (9.5 ± 2.7), while on the second visit, the average value was 13.1 ± 1.9, which corresponded to "normosmia." According to the telephone survey, recovery of the olfactory function occurred within 10 days in 37 of 52 patients (71.2%), 11 to 29 days - in 12 children (23.1%), and later than 30 days - in three cases (5.7%).
Conclusions: In the pediatric population, olfactory dysfunction is an early and common symptom of COVID-19. There is a trend to quick recovery of olfactory function in children with COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of patients (94.3%) had no subjective olfactory complaints by the end of the first month.
Level of evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E2475-E2480, 2021.
Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; children; hyposmia; pandemic; smell.
© 2021 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.