April 23, 2024

Long-Term Taste and Smell Outcomes After COVID-19

Ryan Sharetts, BS1,2; Shima T. Moein, MD, PhD1,2; Rafa Khan, BS1; et alRichard L. Doty, PhD1

Author Affiliations Article Information

JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e247818. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.7818

Key Points

Question  What is the association of COVID-19 with long-term outcomes in taste and smell function as measured by state-of-the-art psychophysical tests?

Findings  In this cross-sectional study of 340 individuals with and 434 individuals without prior COVID-19, taste function did not differ between individuals who had contracted COVID-19 one year earlier and those who had not, whereas some olfactory dysfunction was present in 30.3% of individuals with prior COVID-19 but only 21.0% of individuals with no history of infection. Deficits were greatest for individuals with the original untyped and Alpha variant infections.

Meaning  These findings suggest that long-term taste loss perceived by many patients with COVID-19 likely reflects the loss of flavor sensations from odorant molecules reaching a damaged olfactory epithelium via the nasopharynx rather than the taste buds.

Full study here