Evaluating long-term smell or taste dysfunction in mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients: a 3-year follow-up study.
Paolo Boscolo RizzoGiacomo SpinatoClaire HopkinsRiccardo MarzolinoAngelo CavicchiaSimone ZucchiniDaniele BorsettoJerome R LechienLuigi Angelo VairaGiancarlo TirelliPublished in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (2023)
Among subjects with antecedent mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of COVID-19-related alteration in sense of smell or taste was 5% and 92%, respectively. In approximately two-thirds of patients experiencing chemosensory dysfunction still 2 years after COVID-19, it is still possible to observe a delayed complete or partial recovery after a period of 3 years, while the remaining one-third of individuals continues to have unchanged persistent chemosensory alteration.