A Simplified Test to Assess Flavor in COVID-19 Patients

Overview

The Flavor test has been developed and validated by our group to assess retro-nasal olfactory performances. The original flavor test has been simplified, with the great advantage to be self-administrable for COVID-19 patients in isolation, without any risk to health professionals.

Smell and taste dysfunctions (STDs) are symptoms associated with COVID-19 syndrome, even if their incidence is still uncertain and variable. In this study, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on chemosensory function have been investigated using both a self-reporting questionnaire on smell and flavor perception, and a simplified flavor test. A total of 111 subjects (19 hospitalized \[HOS\] and 37 home-isolated \[HI\] COVID-19 patients, and 55 healthy controls \[CTRL\]) were enrolled in the study. The flavor test used consists in the self-administration of four solution with a pure olfactory stimulus (coffee), a mixed olfactory-trigeminal stimulus (peppermint), and a complex chemical mixture (banana). After SARS-CoV-2 infection, HOS and HI patients reported similar frequency of STDs, with a significant reduction of both smell and flavor self-estimated perception. The aromas of the Flavor test were recognized by HI and HOS COVID-19 patients similarly to CTRL, however the intensity of the perceived aromas was significantly lower in patients compared to controls. This suggests that a chemosensory impairment is present after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the modified "flavor test" could be a novel self-administering objective screening test to assess STDs in COVID-19 patients.

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