Abstract
Until the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, much of the scientific community
and the general public lacked an appreciation of the impact of decreased smell function
on everyday life, including the importance of this sensory system for safety, nutrition,
and overall quality of life. It is now well established that the SARS-CoV-2 virus
inflicts measurable but frequently reversible smell loss during its acute phase. Indeed,
in many studies such loss is the most common symptom of COVID-19. Permanent or long-term
deficits (i.e., deficits lasting over a year) may occur in up to 30% of those who
have been infected, including the development of odor distortions (dysosmias; parosmias).
This review presents up-to-date information on the epidemiology, severity, and pathophysiology
of COVID-19-related smell dysfunction, including its association with psychological
and neurological sequelae.
Keywords COVID-19 - olfaction - anosmia - SARS-CoV-2 - taste
