Prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 patients: a community care facility study

Purpose We aim to study the prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction (OTD) in subjects residing in a Community Care Facility (CCF), a center unique to Singapore that is dedicated to isolate foreign workers with COVID-19 infection who have mild disease with minimal or no symptoms. Methods This is a cross-sectional study analyzing data prospectively collected from COVID-19-positive subjects who were admitted into a single-center Singapore EXPO CCF from 1st May 2020 to 1st July 2020. The following variables were collected: age, gender, ethnicity, anosmia, ageusia and acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms. Symptoms of anosmia and ageusia were self-declared via a mandatory questionnaire administered on admission. Results A total of 1983 subjects were included. The overall prevalence of anosmia and ageusia is 3.0% and 2.6%, respectively. 58% of anosmic subjects have co-existent ageusia and 72.6% of anosmic subjects have no concurrent sinonasal symptoms. OTD is less likely to present in subjects who are asymptomatic for ARI, compared to those symptomatic for ARI (anosmia: 2.0% versus 4.4% p = 0.002; ageusia: 1.6% versus 4.2% p < 0.001). There is a difference in the prevalence of OTD between the different ethnic groups (Indian, Chinese, Bangladeshi and Others), with Chinese and Bangladeshi reporting a higher prevalence (p < 0.043) Conclusion The true prevalence of OTD in COVID-19-positive subjects may be low with aggressive screening of all subjects, including those asymptomatic for ARI.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of olfactory and taste dysfunction in COVID-19-positive subjects residing in a specialized Community Care Facility in Singapore. The overall prevalence of anosmia and ageusia was found to be 3.0% and 2.6% respectively. Olfactory and taste dysfunction were less likely to occur in subjects who were asymptomatic for acute respiratory infection.