Analysis and characterization of reported changes in smell and taste perception resulting from COVID-19: a case study in Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv8n5-027Keywords:
SARS-CoV-2, survey, interviewAbstract
The infectious disease caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) caused numerous losses to the world population. About 716 thousand people died in Brazil due to this disease. Given the mandatory social distancing, the techniques that have been used during the pandemic to quantify and characterize sensory disorders in the population affected by COVID-19 are self-reported, through online questionnaires, phone calls and remote interviews. The present study aimed to analyze and characterize through online questionnaire and remote interviews the occurrence of possible changes in sensory perception of individuals who had total or partial loss of smell and or taste, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 183 individuals responded to the questionnaire; 31% (57) reported having symptoms of total or partial loss of smell and, or taste since the beginning of the pandemic and of these, 30 were selected for the stage of remote interviews aiming at a deeper knowledge about daily life and changes caused by symptoms. Individuals who have been affected by sensory disorders and have the prevalence of these disorders may face limitations in their daily chores, changes in their eating habits, appetite, personal hygiene, and safety due to the lack of perception of warning signs coming from the sense of smell. The results show substantial concern about the quality of life attributable to olfactory and, or gustatory deficits, being considered as a public health case.
References
Agyeman, A. A., Chin, K. L., Landersdorfer, C. B., Liew, D., & Ofori-Asenso, R. (2020). Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Mayo Clinic, 95(8), 1621–1631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.05.030
Ardenghi, L. G., Signorini, A. V., Battezini, A. C., Dornelles, S., & Rieder, C. R. de M. (2015). Ressonância magnética funcional e deglutição: revisão sistemática. Audiology - Communication Research, 20(2), 167–174. https://doi.org/10.1590/s2317-64312015000200001471
Boesveldt, S., & Parma, V. (2021). The importance of the olfactory system in human well-being, through nutrition and social behavior. Cell and Tissue Research, 383(1), 559–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-020-03367-7
Boscolo-Rizzo, P., Borsetto, D., Fabbris, C., Spinato, G., Frezza, D., Menegaldo, A., Mularoni, F., Gaudioso, P., Cazzador, D., Marciani, S., Frasconi, S., Ferraro, M., Berro, C., Varago, C., Nicolai, P., Tirelli, G., Da Mosto, M. C., Obholzer, R., Rigoli, R., … Hopkins, C. (2020). Evolution of altered sense of smell or taste in patients with mildly symptomatic COVID-19. JAMA Otolaryngology-- Head & Neck Surgery, 146(8), 729–732. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoto.2020.1379
Chary, E., Carsuzaa, F., Trijolet, J.-P., Capitaine, A.-L., Roncato-Saberan, M., Fouet, K., Cazenave-Roblot, F., Catroux, M., Allix-Beguec, C., & Dufour, X. (2020). Prevalence and recovery from olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in Covid-19 infection: A prospective multicenter study. American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy, 34(5), 686–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/1945892420930954
Coppin, G., Parma, V., & Pause, B. M. (2016). Editorial: Affective sciences through the chemical senses. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1590. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01590
Coronavírus Brasil (2025). Painel coronavírus update on 28 August 2025. Available: <https://covid.saude.gov.br/>. Access: 29 aug. 2025.
Gane, S. B., Kelly, C., & Hopkins, C. (2020). Isolated sudden onset anosmia in COVID-19 infection. A novel syndrome? Rhinology, 58(3), 299–301. https://doi.org/10.4193/Rhin20.114
Gelardi, M., Trecca, E., Cassano, M., & Ciprandi, G. (2020). Smell and taste dysfunction during the COVID-19 outbreak: a preliminary report. Acta Bio-Medica: Atenei Parmensis, 91(2), 230–231. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i2.9524
Hannum, M. E., Ramirez, V. A., Lipson, S. J., Herriman, R. D., Toskala, A. K., Lin, C., Joseph, P. V., & Reed, D. R. (2020). Objective sensory testing methods reveal a higher prevalence of olfactory loss in COVID-19-positive patients compared to subjective methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Chemical Senses, 45(9), 865–874. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjaa064
Hopkins, C., Surda, P., Whitehead, E., & Kumar, B. N. (2020). Early recovery following new onset anosmia during the COVID-19 pandemic-an observational cohort study. Journal of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 49(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40463-020-00423-8
Hopkins, C., Surda, P., Vaira, L. A., Lechien, J. R., Safarian, M., Saussez, S., & Kumar, N. (2021). Six month follow-up of self-reported loss of smell during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhinology, 59(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.4193/Rhin20.544
Iravani, B., Arshamian, A., Ravia, A., Mishor, E., Snitz, K., Shushan, S., Roth, Y., Perl, O., Honigstein, D., Weissgross, R., Karagach, S., Ernst, G., Okamoto, M., Mainen, Z., Monteleone, E., Dinnella, C., Spinelli, S., Mariño-Sánchez, F., Ferdenzi, C., … Lundström, J. N. (2020). Relationship between odor intensity estimates and COVID-19 prevalence prediction in a Swedish population. Chemical Senses, 45(6), 449–456. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjaa034
Kaye, R., Chang, C. W. D., Kazahaya, K., Brereton, J., & Denneny, J. C., 3rd. (2020). COVID-19 Anosmia Reporting Tool: Initial findings. Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery: Official Journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 163(1), 132–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820922992
Laguna, L., Fiszman, S., Puerta, P., Chaya, C., & Tárrega, A. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on food priorities. Results from a preliminary study using social media and an online survey with Spanish consumers. Food Quality and Preference, 86(104028), 104028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104028
Lechien, J. R., Chiesa-Estomba, C. M., De Siati, D. R., Horoi, M., Le Bon, S. D., Rodriguez, A., Dequanter, D., Blecic, S., El Afia, F., Distinguin, L., Chekkoury-Idrissi, Y., … Saussez, S. (2020). Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study. 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, 277(8), 2251–2261. doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-05965-1
Mao, L., Jin, H., Wang, M., Hu, Y., Chen, S., He, Q., Chang, J., Hong, C., Zhou, Y., Wang, D., Miao, X., Li, Y., & Hu, B. (2020). Neurologic manifestations of hospitalized patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Neurology, 77(6), 683–690. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.1127
Menni, C., Valdes, A. M., Freidin, M. B., Ganesh, S., El-Sayed Moustafa, J. S., Visconti, A., Hysi, P., Bowyer, R. C. E., Mangino, M., Falchi, M., Wolf, J., Steves, C. J., & Spector, T. D. (2020). Loss of smell and taste in combination with other symptoms is a strong predictor of COVID-19 infection. Em bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.20048421
Neto, P., Targino, F. X., Peixoto, M. N., Alcântara, V. S., Jesus, F. B., Araújo, C. C. D., & Filho, D. C. D. (2011). Anormalidades sensoriais: olfato e paladar. Arquivos Internacionais de Otorrinolaringologia, 15, 350–358. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1809-48722011000300014
Nordin, S., Blomqvist, E. H., Olsson, P., Stjärne, P., Ehnhage, A., & NAF2S2 Study Group. (2011). Effects of smell loss on daily life and adopted coping strategies in patients with nasal polyposis with asthma. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 131(8), 826–832. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016489.2010.539625
Parente-Arias, P., Barreira-Fernandez, P., Quintana-Sanjuas, A., & Patiño-Castiñeira, B. (2021). Recovery rate and factors associated with smell and taste disruption in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 42(5), 102648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102648
Sudre, C. H., Murray, B., Varsavsky, T., Graham, M. S., Penfold, R. S., Bowyer, R. C., Pujol, J. C., Klaser, K., Antonelli, M., Canas, L. S., Molteni, E., Modat, M., Cardoso, M. J., May, A., Ganesh, S., Davies, R., Nguyen, L. H., Drew, D. A., Astley, C. M., … Steves, C. J. (2020). Attributes and predictors of Long-COVID: analysis of COVID cases and their symptoms collected by the Covid Symptoms Study App. Em bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.19.20214494
Trubiano, J. A., Vogrin, S., Kwong, J. C., & Homes, N. (2020). Alterations in smell or taste-classic Coronavirus disease 2019? Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 71(16), 2307–2309. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa655
Vaira, L. A., Hopkins, C., Petrocelli, M., Lechien, J. R., Chiesa-Estomba, C. M., Salzano, G., Cucurullo, M., Salzano, F. A., Saussez, S., Boscolo-Rizzo, P., Biglioli, F., & De Riu, G. (2020). Smell and taste recovery in coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a 60-day objective and prospective study. The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 134(8), 703–709. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022215120001826
Vaira, Luigi Angelo, Hopkins, C., Salzano, G., Petrocelli, M., Melis, A., Cucurullo, M., Ferrari, M., Gagliardini, L., Pipolo, C., Deiana, G., Fiore, V., De Vito, A., Turra, N., Canu, S., Maglio, A., Serra, A., Bussu, F., Madeddu, G., Babudieri, S., … De Riu, G. (2020). Olfactory and gustatory function impairment in COVID-19 patients: Italian objective multicenter-study. Head & Neck, 42(7), 1560–1569. https://doi.org/10.1002/hed.26269
Vaira, Luigi Angelo, Gessa, C., Deiana, G., Salzano, G., Maglitto, F., Lechien, J. R., Saussez, S., Piombino, P., Biglio, A., Biglioli, F., Boscolo-Rizzo, P., Hopkins, C., Parma, V., & De Riu, G. (2022). The effects of persistent olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions on quality of life in long-COVID-19 patients. Life (Basel, Switzerland), 12(2), 141. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12020141
Who.int. Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 29 August 2025. ([s.d.]). Available: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-epidemiological-update---27-october-2023>. Access: 29 aug. 2025.
Yan, C. H., Faraji, F., Prajapati, D. P., Boone, C. E., & DeConde, A. S. (2020). Association of chemosensory dysfunction and COVID-19 in patients presenting with influenza-like symptoms. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, 10(7), 806–813. https://doi.org/10.1002/alr.22579
