Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37715807›Full record

Observational studyEuropean 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 Surgery2023

Evaluating long-term smell or taste dysfunction in mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients: a 3-year follow-up study.

Paolo Boscolo-Rizzo, Giacomo Spinato, Claire Hopkins, Riccardo Marzolino, Angelo Cavicchia, Simone Zucchini, Daniele Borsetto, Jerome R Lechien, Luigi Angelo Vaira, Giancarlo Tirelli

Open access · greenAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study 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. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Taste dysfunction in Long COVID.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Personalized medicine in olfactory testing: perspectives to improve patient compliance to psychophysical tests.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 · 2024
    Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Validity and Reliability of the French Olfactory Disorders Questionnaire-10.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-faciale
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

Paolo Boscolo-RizzoDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy. paolo.boscolorizzo@units.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4635-7959
Giacomo SpinatoDepartment of Neurosciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy.
Claire HopkinsGuy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, London, UK.
Riccardo MarzolinoDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
Angelo CavicchiaDepartment of Neurosciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Padova, Treviso, Italy.
Simone ZucchiniDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
Daniele BorsettoDepartment of ENT, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Jerome R LechienDepartment of Laryngology, EpiCURA Hospital, Mons School of Medicine, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium.
Luigi Angelo VairaDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, Maxillofacial Surgery Operative Unit, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Giancarlo TirelliDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, Section of Otolaryngology, University of Trieste, Strada Di Fiume 447, 34149, Trieste, Italy.
University of Trieste · ITUniversity of Padua · ITCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GBSt Thomas' Hospital · GBUniversity of Mons · BEUniversity of Sassari · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionNo studies have reported data on 3-year prevalence and recovery rates of self-reported COVID-19-related olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to estimate the 3-year prevalence and recovery rate of self-reported COVID-19-related chemosensory dysfunction in a cohort of patients with antecedent mild COVID-19.

methodsThis is a prospective observational study, measuring the prevalence of altered sense of smell or taste at follow-up and their variation from baseline, on adult patients consecutively assessed at Treviso and Trieste University Hospitals, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by polymerase chain reaction during March 2020.

resultsOverall, out of 403 respondents, 267 patients (66.3%) reported an altered sense of smell or taste (SNOT-22 > 0) at baseline, while 56 (13.9%), 29 (7.2%), and 21 (5.2%) reported such alterations at 6-24 months, 2 years, and 3 years, respectively. Among the 267 patients with COVID-19-associated smell or taste dysfunction at baseline, 246 (92.1%) reported complete resolution at 3 years. Of the patients who still experienced smell or taste dysfunction 2 years after COVID-19, 27.6% and 37.9% recovered completely and partially, respectively, at the 3-year follow-up.

conclusionAmong 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.

Indexed as

COVID-19Olfaction DisordersAdultFollow-Up StudiesHumansRNA, ViralSARS-CoV-2SmellTasteTaste DisordersRNA, ViralAnosmiaCOVID-19LossOtolaryngologyPrognosisSARS-CoV-2SmellTaste

Identifiers

PMID37715807
OpenAlexW4386807351

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.