Publication date: Aug 10, 2026
To report olfactory dysfunction (OD) as measured by psychophysical testing in the post-acute COVID-19 patient over a 12-month period; to correlate this with patient-reported quality of life (QOL) outcomes. In this multi-centre UK prospective cohort, adults with confirmed COVID-19 completed the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), the validated Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) and the English Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (eODQ) at baseline (median 3 months after infection), then at 1, 3 6, 9 and 12 months after baseline. Seventy-eight (78) patients completed baseline testing and 55 completed testing at 12 months. At baseline, OD was present in 70/78 participants (89. 7%; 95% CI 81. 0-94. 7%). At 12 months, 50/55 participants had persisting OD (90. 9%; 95% CI 80. 4-96. 1%). Mean UPSIT scores were 26. 8 +/- 6. 3 at baseline and 27. 4 +/- 6. 3 at 12 months, indicating minimal change. Symptom burden and disease-specific QOL improved over 12 months with mean SNOT-22 test scores going from 29. 5 +/- 21. 8 to 22. 2 +/- 18. 6, p
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 | |
| MeSH terms: Anosmia | |
| Olfaction disorders | |
| Quality of life | |
| Smell tests |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | SARS-CoV-2 infection |
| pathway | REACTOME | SARS-CoV-2 Infection |
| disease | MESH | infection |
| disease | MESH | NHS |
| disease | MESH | Anosmia |
| disease | MESH | Olfaction disorders |
| disease | MESH | weight loss |
| disease | MESH | anxiety |
| disease | MESH | cam |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Ranitidine |
| disease | MESH | included |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Etoperidone |
| disease | MESH | neurological disorders |
| disease | MESH | head trauma |
| disease | MESH | rhinosinusitis |
| disease | MESH | polyps |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Theophylline |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Zinc |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Sodium Citrate |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Lipoic Acid |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Ginkgo biloba |
| disease | MESH | Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Oxygen |