Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Volume 165, Issue 1 p. 33-42
Review Articles

Prevalence and Characteristics of Taste Disorders in Cases of COVID-19: A Meta-analysis of 29,349 Patients

Jeyasakthy Saniasiaya MD, MMed, 

Jeyasakthy Saniasiaya MD, MMed

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

These authors contributed equally to this article.

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Md Asiful Islam PhD, 

Md Asiful Islam PhD

Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia

These authors contributed equally to this article.

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Baharudin Abdullah MBBS, MMed, 

Corresponding Author

Baharudin Abdullah MBBS, MMed

Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia

Baharudin Abdullah, MBBS, MMed, Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan 16150, Malaysia. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
First published: 15 December 2020
https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599820981018
Citations: 3

Abstract

Objective

The purpose of this meta-analysis is to assess the pooled prevalence of taste disorders and their subtypes in patients with COVID-19.

Data Sources

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched to identify studies published between December 1, 2019, and June 23, 2020, without language restrictions. There was no restriction on the study design; therefore, observational studies, clinical trials, and case series were included. In addition, preprints were considered if data of interest were reported.

Review Methods

Two authors independently screened articles for eligibility. A random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence with 95% CIs. Quality assessment was done with critical appraisal tools of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The robustness of the pooled estimates was checked by subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Results

Fifty-nine studies were included (N = 29,349 patients, 64.4% female). The pooled prevalence of taste disorders in patients with COVID-19 was 48.1% (95% CI, 41.3%-54.8%). The prevalence of taste disorders in studies with objective assessments was higher as compared with subjective assessments (59.2% vs 47.3%). The disorders were observed in 55.2% of European patients; 61.0%, North American; 27.1%, Asian; 29.5%, South American; and 25.0%, Australian. Ageusia, hypogeusia, and dysgeusia were detected in 28.0%, 33.5%, and 41.3% of patients with COVID-19. We identified 91.5% of the included studies as high quality.

Conclusions

The prevalence of taste disorders in patients with COVID-19 was 48.1%. Objective assessments have higher prevalence than subjective assessments. Dysgeusia is the most common subtype, followed by ageusia and hypogeusia.