Prevalence and Characteristics of Altered Sense of Smell/Taste During Covid-19 first wave: A French Nationwide Cross-sectional Study

• Published in: European annals of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck diseases head and neck diseases, 2022-01, Vol.139 (1), p.9-12
• Main Authors: Lisan, Q., Fieux, M., Tran Khai, N., Nevoux, J., Papon, J.-F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Altered olfaction; Altered smell; Communicable Disease Control; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epidemiology; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology; Original; Prevalence; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste; Taste Disorders
• ISSN: 1879-7296; 1879-730X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anorl.2021.05.010

Altered sense of smell and/or taste is a leading symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but its prevalence at a population-level is unknown. From a questionnaire addressed to a representative subset of the French general adult (≥18-year) population over a 6-week period during the first French lockdown (April 7 to May 19 2020), self-reported new cases of altered sense of smell and/or taste were collected. From 29,660 participants, new altered sense of smell and/or taste was 2.18% and 2.11% after direct standardization on the French population representing more than 1,110,000 subjects in France. Moreover, 0.5% of participants reported a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, among which 47.4% reported a newly altered sense of smell and/or taste. Male participants, younger ones together with those presenting with chronic condition had higher odds of reporting a newly altered sense of smell and/or taste. This study provides an accurate estimate of new cases of altered sense of smell and/or taste in the general population at a nationwide level during the Covid-19 first wave.