In the study of 2,581 patients from 18 European hospitals, the patient-reported prevalence of olfactory dysfunction was 85.9% in mild cases of COVID-19, 4.5% in moderate cases, and 6.9% in severe-to-critical cases. The average duration of olfactory dysfunction reported by patients was 21.6 days, but nearly one-quarter of affected patients reported that they did not recover their sense of smell 60 days after losing it.

Objective clinical evaluations identified olfactory dysfunction in 54.7% of mild cases of COVID-19 and 36.6% of moderate-to-critical cases of COVID-19. At 60 days and 6 months, 15.3% and 4.7% of these patients did not objectively recover their sense of smell, respectively.

"Olfactory dysfunction is more prevalent in mild COVID-19 forms than in moderate-to-critical forms, and 95% of patients recover their sense of smell at 6-months post-infection," said lead author Jerome R. Lechien, MD, PhD, MS, of Paris Saclay University.

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Journal Reference:

1. J. R. Lechien, C. M. Chiesa‐Estomba, E. Beckers, V. Mustin, M. Ducarme, F. Journe, A. Marchant, L. Jouffe, M. R. Barillari, G. Cammaroto, M. P. Circiu, S. Hans, S. Saussez. Prevalence and 6‐month recovery of olfactory dysfunction: a multicentre study of 1363 COVID‐19 patients. Journal of Internal Medicine, Jan. 5, 2021; DOI: 10.1111/joim.13209