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Hunter SR, Zola A, Ho E, Kallen M, Adjei-Danquah E, Achenbach C, Smith GR, Gershon R, Reed DR, Schalet B, Parma V, Dalton PH. Using SCENTinel® to predict SARS-CoV-2 infection: insights from a community sample during dominance of Delta and Omicron variants. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1322797. [PMID: 38660364 PMCID: PMC11041634 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1322797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Based on a large body of previous research suggesting that smell loss was a predictor of COVID-19, we investigated the ability of SCENTinel®, a newly validated rapid olfactory test that assesses odor detection, intensity, and identification, to predict SARS-CoV-2 infection in a community sample. Methods Between April 5, 2021, and July 5, 2022, 1,979 individuals took one SCENTinel® test, completed at least one physician-ordered SARS-CoV-2 PCR test, and endorsed a list of self-reported symptoms. Results Among the of SCENTinel® subtests, the self-rated odor intensity score, especially when dichotomized using a previously established threshold, was the strongest predictor of SARS-CoV-2 infection. SCENTinel® had high specificity and negative predictive value, indicating that those who passed SCENTinel® likely did not have a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Predictability of the SCENTinel® performance was stronger when the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was dominant rather than when the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was dominant. Additionally, SCENTinel® predicted SARS-CoV-2 positivity better than using a self-reported symptom checklist alone. Discussion These results indicate that SCENTinel® is a rapid assessment tool that can be used for population-level screening to monitor abrupt changes in olfactory function, and to evaluate spread of viral infections like SARS-CoV-2 that often have smell loss as a symptom.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne Zola
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Emily Ho
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Michael Kallen
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Chad Achenbach
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - G. Randy Smith
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Richard Gershon
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | - Benjamin Schalet
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Valentina Parma
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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2
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Weir EM, Exten C, Gerkin RC, Munger SD, Hayes JE. Transient loss and recovery of oral chemesthesis, taste and smell with COVID-19: A small case-control series. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114331. [PMID: 37595820 PMCID: PMC10591985 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
Transient loss of smell is a common symptom of influenza and other upper respiratory infections. Loss of taste is possible but rare with these illnesses, and patient reports of 'taste loss' typically arise from a taste / flavor confusion. Thus, initial reports from COVID-19 patients of loss of taste and chemesthesis (i.e., chemical somatosensation like warming or cooling) were met with skepticism until multiple studies confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections could disrupt these senses. Many studies have been based on self-report or on single time point assessments after acute illness was ended. Here, we describe intensive longitudinal data over 28 days from adults aged 18-45 years recruited in early 2021 (i.e., prior to the Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 waves). These individuals were either COVID-19 positive or close contacts (per U.S. CDC criteria at the time of the study) in the first half of 2021. Upon enrollment, all participants were given nose clips, blinded samples of commercial jellybeans (Sour Cherry and Cinnamon), and scratch-n-sniff odor identification test cards (ScentCheckPro), which they used for daily assessments. In COVID-19 cases who enrolled on or before Day 10 of infection, Gaussian Process Regression showed two distinct measures of function - odor identification and odor intensity - declined relative to controls (exposed individuals who never developed COVID-19). Because enrollment began upon exposure, some participants became ill only after enrollment, which allowed us to capture baseline ratings, onset of loss, and recovery. Data from these four cases and four age- and sex- matched controls were plotted over 28 days to create panel plots. Variables included mean orthonasal intensity of four odors (ScentCheckPro), perceived nasal blockage, oral burn (Cinnamon jellybeans), and sourness and sweetness (Sour Cherry jellybeans). Controls exhibited stable ratings over time. By contrast, COVID-19 cases showed sharp deviations over time. Changes in odor intensity or odor identification were not explained by nasal blockage. No single pattern of taste loss or recovery was apparent, implying different taste qualities might recover at different rates. Oral burn was transiently reduced for some before recovering quickly, suggesting acute loss may be missed in datasets collected only after illness ends. Collectively, intensive daily testing shows orthonasal smell, oral chemesthesis and taste were each altered by acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. This disruption was dyssynchronous for different modalities, with variable loss and recovery rates across both modalities and individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth M Weir
- Sensory Evaluation Center, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America; Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America
| | - Cara Exten
- Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America
| | - Richard C Gerkin
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, United States of America
| | - Steven D Munger
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States of America; Center for Smell and Taste, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States of America; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32610, United States of America
| | - John E Hayes
- Sensory Evaluation Center, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America; Department of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States of America.
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Mai Y, Klockow M, Haehner A, Hummel T. Self-assessment of olfactory function using the "Sniffin' Sticks". Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 280:3673-3685. [PMID: 36799976 PMCID: PMC10313570 DOI: 10.1007/s00405-023-07872-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A precise and reliable test of the olfactory function is indispensable for the diagnosis of the olfactory disorder (OD). Despite of this, in a clinical context, often there is no place in daily routine for time-consuming procedures. This study aimed to examine if the assessment of olfactory function using the "Sniffin' Sticks" is suitable for self-assessment. METHODS Participants comprised 84 healthy control subjects (HC) and 37 OD patients. The "Sniffin' Sticks" test battery consisting of odor threshold (T), discrimination (D) and identification (I) tests was used for self- and assisted assessments. To save time, we applied the 8-item wide step version of the T test and the 8-item D test, whereas the I task remained the same as the original version. The whole test included two sessions, with each session comprising a self-assessment part performed by the participants themselves, and an assisted-assessment part performed by the examiner. RESULTS Sniffin' Sticks self-assessment was efficient in distinguishing between self-reported HC subjects and OD patients (p's < 0.01), and the scores did not differ significantly from the assisted-assessment (p's > 0.05). In the self-administered I and TDI tests, there was a moderate to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.51-0.93, p's < 0.01), and a strong to excellent correlation with the assisted assessment (r = 0.71-0.92, p's < 0.01). However, the self-administered T and D tests only exhibited low to moderate test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.30-0.72, p's < 0.05) and correlations with the assisted test (r = 0.31-0.62, p's < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The Identification self-test is appropriate to be solely applied, and is therefore an easy-to-use alternative for olfactory screening in a larger segment of patients. The whole "Sniffin' Sticks" self-test also shows good measurement properties and is therefore a suitable backup in clinical practice, but improvement is needed due to the simplified D and T self-test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiling Mai
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technical University of Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Marie Klockow
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technical University of Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Antje Haehner
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technical University of Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Technical University of Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
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Li H, Gerkin RC, Bakke A, Norel R, Cecchi G, Laudamiel C, Niv MY, Ohla K, Hayes JE, Parma V, Meyer P. Text-based predictions of COVID-19 diagnosis from self-reported chemosensory descriptions. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2023; 3:104. [PMID: 37500763 PMCID: PMC10374642 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-023-00334-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a prevailing view that humans' capacity to use language to characterize sensations like odors or tastes is poor, providing an unreliable source of information. METHODS Here, we developed a machine learning method based on Natural Language Processing (NLP) using Large Language Models (LLM) to predict COVID-19 diagnosis solely based on text descriptions of acute changes in chemosensation, i.e., smell, taste and chemesthesis, caused by the disease. The dataset of more than 1500 subjects was obtained from survey responses early in the COVID-19 pandemic, in Spring 2020. RESULTS When predicting COVID-19 diagnosis, our NLP model performs comparably (AUC ROC ~ 0.65) to models based on self-reported changes in function collected via quantitative rating scales. Further, our NLP model could attribute importance of words when performing the prediction; sentiment and descriptive words such as "smell", "taste", "sense", had strong contributions to the predictions. In addition, adjectives describing specific tastes or smells such as "salty", "sweet", "spicy", and "sour" also contributed considerably to predictions. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the description of perceptual symptoms caused by a viral infection can be used to fine-tune an LLM model to correctly predict and interpret the diagnostic status of a subject. In the future, similar models may have utility for patient verbatims from online health portals or electronic health records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyang Li
- Health Care and Life Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
| | - Richard C Gerkin
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Osmo, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alyssa Bakke
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Raquel Norel
- Health Care and Life Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
| | - Guillermo Cecchi
- Health Care and Life Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
| | | | - Masha Y Niv
- The Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Kathrin Ohla
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Science & Research, dsm-firmenich, Satigny, Switzerland
| | - John E Hayes
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | - Pablo Meyer
- Health Care and Life Sciences, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA.
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5
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Nguyen H, Albayay J, Höchenberger R, Bhutani S, Boesveldt S, Busch NA, Croijmans I, Cooper KW, de Groot JHB, Farruggia MC, Fjaeldstad AW, Hayes JE, Hummel T, Joseph PV, Laktionova TK, Thomas-Danguin T, Veldhuizen MG, Voznessenskaya VV, Parma V, Pepino MY, Ohla K. Covid-19 affects taste independently of smell: results from a combined chemosensory home test and online survey from a global cohort (N=10,953). MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.01.16.23284630. [PMID: 36711499 PMCID: PMC9882440 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.16.23284630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
People often confuse smell loss with taste loss, so it is unclear how much gustatory function is reduced in patients self-reporting taste loss. Our pre-registered cross-sectional study design included an online survey in 12 languages with instructions for self-administering chemosensory tests with ten household items. Between June 2020 and March 2021, 10,953 individuals participated. Of these, 3,356 self-reported a positive and 602 a negative COVID-19 diagnosis (COVID+ and COVID-, respectively); 1,267 were awaiting test results (COVID?). The rest reported no respiratory illness and were grouped by symptoms: sudden smell/taste changes (STC, N=4,445), other symptoms excluding smell or taste loss (OthS, N=832), and no symptoms (NoS, N=416). Taste, smell, and oral irritation intensities and self-assessed abilities were rated on visual analog scales. Compared to the NoS group, COVID+ was associated with a 21% reduction in taste (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 15-28%), 47% in smell (95%-CI: 37-56%), and 17% in oral irritation (95%-CI: 10-25%) intensity. In all groups, perceived intensity of smell (r=0.84), taste (r=0.68), and oral irritation (r=0.37) was correlated. Our findings suggest most reports of taste dysfunction with COVID-19 were genuine and not due to misinterpreting smell loss as taste loss (i.e., a classical taste-flavor confusion). Assessing smell and taste intensity of household items is a promising, cost-effective screening tool that complements self-reports and helps to disentangle taste loss from smell loss. However, it does not replace standardized validated psychophysical tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Nguyen
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Javier Albayay
- Università degli Studi di Trento, Centro Interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello, Rovereto, IT
| | | | - Surabhi Bhutani
- San Diego State University, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sanne Boesveldt
- Wageningen University, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen, NL
| | - Niko A Busch
- University of Münster, Institute for Psychology, Münster, DE
| | - Ilja Croijmans
- Radboud University, Language and communication, Nijmegen, Gelderland, NL
| | - Keiland W Cooper
- University of California Irvine, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander W Fjaeldstad
- Gødstrup Regional Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Flavour Clinic, University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Herning, DK
| | - John E Hayes
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Food Science, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas Hummel
- University of Dresden Medical School, Smell & Taste Clinic, Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Dresden, DE
| | - Paule V Joseph
- Paule Joseph, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, DIBCR, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tatiana K Laktionova
- Tatiana K. Laktionova, A N Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Moscow, RU
| | - Thierry Thomas-Danguin
- Thierry Thomas-Danguin, INRAE CSGA, Research Center for Smell Taste and Feeding Behavior, Dijon, FR
| | | | - Vera V Voznessenskaya
- Tatiana K. Laktionova, A N Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Moscow, RU
| | | | - M Yanina Pepino
- University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, and Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Kathrin Ohla
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Food Science, University Park, PA, USA
- Helmut-Schmidt-University / University of the Armed Forces Hamburg, Experimental Psychology Unit, Hamburg, DE
- Firmenich SA, Human Perception & Bioresponse, Satigny, CH
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6
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Drnovsek E, Rommel M, Bierling AL, Croy A, Croy I, Hummel T. An olfactory perceptual fingerprint in people with olfactory dysfunction due to COVID-19. Chem Senses 2023; 48:bjad050. [PMID: 38098233 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjad050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The sense of smell is based on sensory detection of the molecule(s), which is then further perceptually interpreted. A possible measure of olfactory perception is an odor-independent olfactory perceptual fingerprint (OPF) defined by Snitz et al. We aimed to investigate whether OPF can distinguish patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from controls and which perceptual descriptors are important for that separation. Our study included 99 healthy controls and 41 patients. They rated 10 odors using 8 descriptors such as "pleasant," "intense," "familiar," "warm," "cold," "irritating," "edible," and "disgusting." An unsupervised machine learning method, hierarchical cluster analysis, showed that OPF can distinguish patients from controls with an accuracy of 83%, a sensitivity of 51%, and a specificity of 96%. Furthermore, a supervised machine learning method, random forest classifier, showed that OPF can distinguish patients and controls in the testing dataset with an accuracy of 86%, a sensitivity of 64%, and a specificity of 96%. Principal component analysis and random forest classifier showed that familiarity and intensity were the key qualities to explain the variance of the data. In conclusion, people with COVID-19-related OD have a fundamentally different olfactory perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Drnovsek
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria Rommel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Antonie Louise Bierling
- Institute for Materials Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Alexander Croy
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Ilona Croy
- Department of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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7
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Nguyen H, Albayay J, Höchenberger R, Bhutani S, Boesveldt S, Busch NA, Croijmans I, Cooper KW, de Groot JHB, Farruggia MC, Fjaeldstad AW, Hayes JE, Hummel T, Joseph PV, Laktionova TK, Thomas-Danguin T, Veldhuizen MG, Voznessenskaya VV, Parma V, Pepino MY, Ohla K. Covid-19 affects taste independent of taste-smell confusions: results from a combined chemosensory home test and online survey from a large global cohort. Chem Senses 2023; 48:bjad020. [PMID: 37350646 PMCID: PMC10396355 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjad020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
People often confuse smell loss with taste loss, so it is unclear how much gustatory function is reduced in patients self-reporting taste loss. Our pre-registered cross-sectional study design included an online survey in 12 languages with instructions for self-administering chemosensory tests with 10 household items. Between June 2020 and March 2021, 10,953 individuals participated. Of these, 5,225 self-reported a respiratory illness and were grouped based on their reported COVID test results: COVID-positive (COVID+, N = 3,356), COVID-negative (COVID-, N = 602), and COVID unknown for those waiting for a test result (COVID?, N = 1,267). The participants who reported no respiratory illness were grouped by symptoms: sudden smell/taste changes (STC, N = 4,445), other symptoms excluding smell or taste changes (OthS, N = 832), and no symptoms (NoS, N = 416). Taste, smell, and oral irritation intensities and self-assessed abilities were rated on visual analog scales. Compared to the NoS group, COVID+ was associated with a 21% reduction in taste (95% confidence interval (CI): 15-28%), 47% in smell (95% CI: 37-56%), and 17% in oral irritation (95% CI: 10-25%) intensity. There were medium to strong correlations between perceived intensities and self-reported abilities (r = 0.84 for smell, r = 0.68 for taste, and r = 0.37 for oral irritation). Our study demonstrates that COVID-19-positive individuals report taste dysfunction when self-tested with stimuli that have little to none olfactory components. Assessing the smell and taste intensity of household items is a promising, cost-effective screening tool that complements self-reports and may help to disentangle taste loss from smell loss. However, it does not replace standardized validated psychophysical tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Nguyen
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Javier Albayay
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello, Università degli Studi di Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Surabhi Bhutani
- School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sanne Boesveldt
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Niko A Busch
- Institute for Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ilja Croijmans
- Department of Language and Communication, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Keiland W Cooper
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Michael C Farruggia
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alexander W Fjaeldstad
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Flavour Clinic, University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Gødstrup Regional Hospital, Herning, Denmark
| | - John E Hayes
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Smell & Taste Clinic, Dresden, Germany
| | - Paule V Joseph
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, DIBCR, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - M Yanina Pepino
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Kathrin Ohla
- Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Armed Forces Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Science & Research, dsm-firmenich, Satigny, Switzerland
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8
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Iravani B, Arshamian A, Lundström JN. Loss of olfactory sensitivity is an early and reliable marker for COVID-19. Chem Senses 2022; 47:6693557. [PMID: 36069508 PMCID: PMC9450173 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of early and reliable symptoms is important in relation to limiting the spread of an infectious disease. For COVID-19, the most specific symptom is either losing or experiencing reduced olfactory functions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that olfactory dysfunction is also one of the earlier symptoms of COVID-19, but objective measures supporting this notion are currently missing. To determine whether olfactory loss is an early sign of COVID-19, we assessed available longitudinal data from a web-based interface enabling individuals to test their sense of smell by rating the intensity of selected household odors. Individuals continuously used the interface to assess their olfactory functions and at each login, in addition to odor ratings, recorded their symptoms and results from potential COVID-19 test. A total of 205 COVID-19-positive individuals and 156 pseudo-randomly matched control individuals lacking positive test provided longitudinal data which enabled us to assess olfactory functions in relation to their test result date. We found that odor intensity ratings started to decline in the COVID-19 group as early as 6 days prior to the test result date (±1.4 days). Symptoms, such as sore throat, aches, and runny nose appear around the same point in time; however, with a lower predictability of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Our results suggest that olfactory sensitivity loss is an early symptom but does not appear before other related COVID-19 symptoms. Olfactory loss is, however, more predictive of a COVID-19 diagnosis than other early symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Iravani
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Artin Arshamian
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan N Lundström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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