Sixty-five COVID-19 positive patients, 27 males (41.54 %) and 38 females (58.46 %), average age (41.2) years.
Smell dysfunction appeared in (58 /65, 89.23%) patients with or without other symptoms of COVID-19, twelve patients of them had been tested for COVID-19 because they were in contact with other positive symptomatic patients. All these (12/ 65 18.46%) patients confirmed that they had no symptoms other than loss of sense of smell before they were tested for COVID-19, (10/65, 15.38%) patients of them, had taste loss in addition.
Insert Figure 1 here.
Taste dysfunction was found in (54/65, 83.08%) patients with other COVID-19 symptoms. only (16/54, 29.63%) of them recovered.
Anosmia was mild in (39/58, 67.24%) of patients, of them (16/39, 41.03%) were males, (23/39, 58.97%) were females. (11/58, 18.97%) had moderate anosmia, of them (5/11, 45.45%) were males, (6/11, 54.55%) were females. (8/39, 20.51%) had complete anosmia, (3/8, 37.5%) were males and (5/8, 62.5%).
Anosmia severity
|
Number
|
Number %
|
Male
|
male %
|
Female
|
Female %
|
Mild
|
39
|
67.24
|
16
|
41.03
|
23
|
58.97
|
moderate
|
11
|
18.97
|
5
|
45.45
|
6
|
54.55
|
Complete anosmia
|
8
|
13.79
|
3
|
37.5
|
5
|
62.5
|
Total n.
|
58
|
100
|
|
|
|
|
Table 1: Anosmia severity gender distribution.
Taste loss severity
|
number
|
n%
|
Male
|
male %
|
Female
|
Female %
|
Mild
|
37
|
68.52
|
15
|
40.54
|
22
|
59.46
|
moderate
|
12
|
22.22
|
7
|
58.33
|
5
|
41.67
|
CompleteTaste loss
|
5
|
9.26
|
2
|
40.00
|
3
|
60.00
|
Total n.
|
54
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
|
Table 2: Taste loss severity in relation to gender distribution.
Insert Figure 2 here.
Insert Figure 3 here.
Anosmia appeared in the following time pattern in relation to the confirmation of COVID-19: 1.72% after, 20.68% before less than a week, 31.03% before 1 week, 32.76% before 2 weeks, 10.34% before 3 weeks, 3.45% before 1 month.
(23/58, 39.66%) patients had the sense of smell recovered. The recovery took 1-3 weeks to occur. The time taken to recover the smell distributed as 21.74% recovered within less than a week, 52.17% 1 week, 21.74% within 2 weeks and 4.35% 3 weeks.
Insert Figure 4 here.
The time for taste recovery distributed as 25% recovered within less than a week, 50% a week, 18.75% within 2 weeks and 6.25% 3 weeks.
Insert Figure 5 here.
The most common complaints were high temperature (63.08%), cough (60.00%), Headache (52.31%), Dyspnoea (47.69%), both Sore Throat and Diarrhea (32.31%) each and Chest pain or Tightness (30.77%). (Figure 6) show the percentage of different patients’ complaints.
Insert Figure 6 here.
The majority of patients were non-smokers, fifty-seven patients (87.69%) while only eight (12.31%) patients were smokers.