Assessment of patient recognition of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19)‐associated olfactory loss and recovery: a longitudinal study

Given the logistical challenges of psychophysical testing, understanding the longitudinal relationship between self reported and quantitative measures can help accurately identify patients with persistent olfactory dysfunction. This study aimed to longitudinally correlate measured and subjective olfactory function in COVID 19 subjects. Methods A prospective, longitudinal study evaluating subjective and measured olfaction was conducted on ambulatory COVID 19 subjects. Results Eighty six polymerase chain reaction positive COVID 19 subjects were recruited 3 days from diagnosis and 52 completed longitudinal testing. Among those with self reported smell loss at recruitment, similar levels of objective and subjective recovery were obtained using a VAS cutoff 8, yet only 30. Median times to objective and complete subjective olfactory recovery were 12 2. Although both measures showed chemosensory improvement, the distributions of objective and full subjective olfactory recovery differed significantly (log rank test 2 = 6. Conclusion Self reported and psychophysically measured COVID 19 olfactory dysfunction improve at similar levels and are moderately correlated longitudinally, yet there is a significant delay in complete subjective recovery.