Abstract
Objective To assess the physiopathology of olfactory function loss (OFL) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we evaluated the olfactory clefts (OC) on MRI during the early stage of the disease and 1 month later.
Methods This was a prospective, monocentric, case-controlled study. Twenty severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2)–infected patients with OFL were included and compared to 20 age-matched healthy controls. All infected patients underwent olfactory function assessment and 3T MRI, performed both at the early stage of the disease and at the 1-month follow-up.
Results At the early stage, SARS-CoV2–infected patients had a mean olfactory score of 2.8 ± 2.7 (range 0–8), and MRI displayed a complete obstruction of the OC in 19 of 20 patients. Controls had normal olfactory scores and no obstruction of the OC on MRI. At the 1 month follow-up, the olfactory score had improved to 8.3 ± 1.9 (range 4–10) in patients, and only 7 of 20 patients still had an obstruction of the OC. There was a correlation between olfactory score and obstruction of the OC (p = 0.004).
Conclusion OFL in SARS-CoV2–infected patients is associated with a reversible obstruction of the OC.
Glossary
- ACE2=
- angiotensin-converting enzyme 2;
- COVID-19=
- coronavirus disease 2019;
- FLAIR=
- fluid-attenuated inversion recovery;
- OB=
- olfactory bulbs;
- OC=
- olfactory clefts;
- OFL=
- olfactory function loss;
- SARS-CoV2=
- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2;
- VOS=
- visual olfactive score
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
- Received August 5, 2020.
- Accepted in final form August 21, 2020.
- © 2020 American Academy of Neurology
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Reader response: Loss of smell in COVID-19 patients: MRI data reveals a transient edema of the olfactory clefts
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