Evaluation of taste and smell disorders in pediatric COVID-19 casesCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the infection associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared as pandemic by the WHO in March 2020 and caused more than 146,000,000 infections and more than 3,000,000 deaths in April 20211. Children appear to be less commonly affected than adults, and most of the cases have mild disease. Although a minority of cases required hospitalization, symptomatic infection appears to be relatively uncommon in children2–4.
The most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath; however, these symptoms may be unrecognized before the diagnosis in children5,6. Loss of smell or taste is reported in approximately 10% of children less than 20 years of age6. However, altered smell or taste is one of the symptoms most strongly associated with a positive SARS-CoV-2 swab test result7. Loss of smell is significantly associated with a decreased rate of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, intubation, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and it has been reported as an independent positive prognostic factor of a less severe COVID-19 infection in adults8.
Although it is well known in adults, there are scanty reports about smell and taste disorders in children with COVID-19 in the literatüre9. In this issue of the article, Elmas et al.10 reported that 7 children below the age of 18 had a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result and were admitted with taste and/or smell disorder. These authors are involved in presenting the clinical manifestations and laboratory results of the patients at the time of admission and follow-up. In addition, cranial MRI and thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans of all cases during admission are also evaluated and discussed in the light of literature.
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» https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---27-april-2021 -
2 Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and important lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China: summary of a report of 72 314 cases from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020;323(13):1239-42. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.2648
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5 Han MS, Choi EH, Chang SH, Jin BL, Lee EJ, Kim BN, et al. Clinical characteristics and viral RNA detection in children with Coronavirus disease 2019 in the Republic of Korea. JAMA Pediatr. 2021;175(1):73-80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3988
» http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3988 -
6 Stokes EK, Zambrano LD, Anderson KN, Marder EP, Raz KM, Felix SEB, et al. Coronavirus Disease 2019 case surveillance – United States, January 22-May 30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;69(24):759-65. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6924e2
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7 King JA, Whitten TA, Bakal JA, McAlister FA. Symptoms associated with a positive result for a swab for SARS-CoV-2 infection among children in Alberta. CMAJ. 2021;193(1):E1-E9. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.202065
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8 Foster KJ, Jauregui E, Tajudeen B, Bishehsari F, Mahdavinia M. Smell loss is a prognostic factor for lower severity of coronavirus disease 2019. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2020;125(4):481-3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2020.07.023
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9 Samaranayake LP, Fakhruddin KS, Panduwawala C. Sudden onset, acute loss of taste and smell in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review. Acta Odontol Scand. 2020;78(6):467-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/00016357.2020.1787505
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10 Elmas B, Çavdaroğlu P, Orhan M, Ay G, Caner İ, Tarım A, et al. Evaluation of taste and smell disorders in pediatric COVID-19 cases. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2021;67(6):789-94. https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20200547
» https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.20200547
