Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Categorical variables are reported in numerals and percentages of the total. Descriptive statistics for quantitative variables are given as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). The statistical analysis of differences in olfactory and gustatory function, between population subgroups, was performed using Student’s T test. The level of statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval.
RESULTS
Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 72 COVID-19 patients (27 males, 45 females, mean age 49.2 years old) were enrolled for the study at the University Hospital of Sassari. Of these, 3 were hospitalized in the Respiratory Diseases Department, 22 in the Infectious Diseases Department, and the remaining 47 patients belonged to the infected healthcare personnel, were quarantined at home and assisted by the Surveillance and Prevention Department. The last group was assessed in occasion of the first recall for the control swab. Table 3 reports a framework summary of patient general characteristics and clinical features [Table 3].
Fifty-three patients (73.6% of the study population) reported having chemosensory dysfunctions during the course of the COVID-19. Especially, isolated taste disorders were reported in 9 cases (12.5%), while 14 patients (14.4%) reported isolated olfactory dysfunctions. Thirty patients (41.7%) reported they experienced combined disorders of both olfaction and taste. At the time of the evaluation, most of these patients (35 cases, 66%) reported a complete recovery of chemosensitive functions, which occurred in less than 5 days in 19 cases and in more than 5 days in the remaining 16. On the contrary, 18 patients (34%) reported a persistence of alterations in taste and olfaction.