Table 3.
Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for persistence or worsening at 12 months of alteration of sense of smell or taste according to baseline characteristics
| Characteristics | Persistence or worsening | Recovered | OR (95% CI)a | OR (95% CI)b | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | n | (%) | |||
| Gender | ||||||
| Male | 17 | (29.8) | 53 | (40.8) | Reference | Reference |
| Female | 40 | (70.2) | 77 | (59.2) | 1.67 (0.85–3.27) | 1.83 (0.90–3.72) |
| Age (years) | ||||||
| < 40 | 20 | (35.1) | 35 | (26.9) | Reference | Reference |
| 40–54 | 21 | (36.8) | 55 | (42.3) | 0.64 (0.30–1.35) | 0.49 (0.22–1.11) |
| ≥ 55 | 19 | (28.1) | 40 | (30.8) | 0.69 (0.31–1.54) | 0.59 (0.25–1.38) |
| Smoking habits | ||||||
| Never | 30 | (52.6) | 84 | (64.6) | Reference | Reference |
| Ever | 27 | (47.4) | 46 | (35.4) | 1.77 (0.93–3.38) | 1.77 (0.89–3.51) |
| Drinking habits | ||||||
| Never | 42 | (73.7) | 79 | (60.8) | Reference | Reference |
| Ever | 15 | (26.3) | 41 | (39.2) | 0.60 (0.29–1.21) | 0.67 (0.32–1.42) |
| BMI (kg m−2) | ||||||
| < 30 | 35 | (61.4) | 59 | (45.4) | Reference | Reference |
| ≥ 30 | 22 | (38.6) | 71 | (54.6) | 0.72 (0.30–1.75) | 0.55 (0.22–1.40) |
| Blocked nose | ||||||
| No | 40 | (70.2) | 107 | (82.3) | Reference | Reference |
| Yes | 17 | (29.8) | 23 | (17.7) | 1.97 (0.95–4.11) | 2.14 (0.98–4.67) |
| Comorbidity | ||||||
| None | 39 | (68.4) | 81 | (62.3) | Reference | Reference |
| Any | 18 | (31.6) | 49 | (37.7) | 0.80 (0.41–1.59) | 0.84 (0.40–1.74) |
| Type of chemosensory impairment | ||||||
| Smell or taste | 5 | (8.8) | 30 | (23.1) | Reference | Reference |
| Smell and taste | 52 | (91.2) | 100 | (76.9) | 3.37 (1.22–9.33) | 2.58 (0.91–7.37) |
| SNOT-22b | ||||||
| 1–3 | 7 | (12.3) | 41 | (31.5) | Reference | Reference |
| 4–5 | 50 | (87.7) | 89 | (68.5) | 3.84 (1.55–9.49) | 3.32 (1.32–8.36) |
| Time for negative swab (days) | ||||||
| < 22 | 21 | (36.8) | 70 | (53.9) | Reference | Reference |
| ≥ 22 | 36 | (63.2) | 60 | (46.2) | 2.09 (1.09–3.99) | 2.18 (1.12–4.27) |
BMI body mass index
aEstimated from unconditional logistic regression model, adjusting for gender and age
bFurther adjusted for smell/taste alteration, severity of alteration, and time for negative swab
bAccording to sino-nasal outcome test 22 (SNOT-22), item “sense of smell or taste”