To investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on sinonasal quality of life, olfaction, and cognition at different stages of viral infection and evaluate the association between olfaction and cognition in this population cohort.
While olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a frequently reported symptom of COVID-19 (98% prevalence), neurocognitive symptoms are becoming more apparent as patients recover from infection. This study aims to address how different stages of infection [active infection (positive PCR test, symptomatic) vs. recovered (7 days post-symptoms)] compared to healthy control patients influence sinonasal quality of life, olfactory function, and cognition.
Prospective, longitudinal, case-control.
Participants completed the SNOT-22, University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and validated cognitive examinations to assess degree of smell loss and neurocognitive function at baseline and at 1 and 3 months for the active group and 3 months for the recovered group. Self-reported olfactory function and overall health metrics were also collected.
The recovered group had the lowest average UPSIT score of 27.6 compared to 32.7 (active) and 32.6 (healthy control). 80% (
SARS-CoV-2 infection was found to impact olfactory function in a delayed fashion with significant impact despite recovery from active infection. Although olfactory function improved, decrements in cognitive processing speed were detected in our cohort.