Smell Outcome and Seropositivity Titre in Post-COVID-19 Patients

• Published in: O.R.L. Journal for oto-rhino-laryngology and its related specialties Vol. 85; no. 6; pp. 305 - 7
• Main Authors: Harminder Singh, Shalina Kaur, Husain, Salina, Wan Hamizan, Aneeza Khairiyah, Zahedi, Farah Dayana, Othman, Siti Norlia, Zainol Rashid, Zetti
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Anosmia - etiology; COVID-19; Humans; Quality of Life; SARS-CoV-2; Smell - physiology; COVID-19; Seropositivity; Smell
• ISSN: 1423-0275
• DOI: 10.1159/000531222

The aims of the study were to perform an olfactory assessment on patients active and post-COVID-19 using the culturally adapted Malaysian version Sniffin' Sticks identification smell test (mSS-SIT), to evaluate the patient olfactory outcome using a Malay short version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (msQOD-NS), as well as to evaluate seropositive titre (IgG) response using automated serology method. Score for mSS-SIT was performed during the hospitalization, when patients had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (during COVID-19), and repeated after they had tested negative (after COVID-19). Also, each patient completed msQOD-NS and serology SARS-CoV-2 antibodies blood test was evaluated. During COVID-19, 2 of our patients were anosmia (6.5%), 22 (70.9%) were hyposmia, and 7 (22.6%) were normosmia. We repeated mSS-SIT on these same patients after COVID-19, and none of these subjects were hyposmia or anosmia, as they achieved a score >12. All our patients had scored 21 using msQOD-NS, meaning no impact on quality of life as they had regained their normal olfactory function. In this study also, we obtained no correlation between smell test and seropositivity titre COVID-19, and antibody levels gradually decreased over time till 6 months and remained stable up to 12 months. From this study, we know full recovery of the sense of smell can be expected post-COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 antibody persists in the body up to 12 months of infection.