TABLE 1.
A detailed descriptive analysis of the cohort stratified according to the pandemic wave
| Parameter | Wave I (March–August 2020, n 89) | Wave II (September–December 2020, n 52) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Features of chemosensory disturbances | |||
| Severity of CD on admission, median (range) | 4 (1–5) | 4 (2–5) | 0.522 |
| Reported CD on admission (N.B., out of 117), n (%) | 0.760 | ||
| 1 | 7 (9.2) | 7 (17.1) | |
| 2 | 7 (9.2) | 4 (9.8) | |
| 3 | 12 (15.8) | 6 (14.6) | |
| 4 | 20 (26.3) | 8 (19.5) | |
| 5 | 30 (39.5) | 16 (39) | |
| Severity of CD after3 months, median (range) | 0 (0–5) | 0 (0–5) | 0.048 |
| Reported CD after 3 months (N.B., out of 117), n (%) | 0.476 | ||
| 0 | 50 (65.8) | 34 (83) | |
| 1 | 8 (10.5) | 3 (7.4) | |
| 2 | 4 (5.3) | 1 (2.4) | |
| 3 | 6 (7.9) | 1 (2.4) | |
| 4 | 6 (7.9) | 1 (2.4) | |
| 5 | 2 (2.6) | 1 (2.4) | |
| Patients complaining of persistent CD, n (%) | 30 (33.7) | 7 (13.5) | 0.008 |
| Clinical features and comorbidities on admission | |||
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 61.3 ± 14.2 | 56.9 ± 17.8 | 0.110 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.861 | ||
| Male | 50 (56.2) | 28 (53.8) | |
| Female | 39 (43.8) | 24 (46.2) | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean ± SD | 27.3 ± 4.9 | 26.5 ± 4.8 | 0.419 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 37 (41.6) | 20 (38.5) | 0.859 |
| History of cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 18 (20.2) | 6 (11.5) | 0.247 |
| NOAC, n (%) | 12 (13.5) | 4 (7.7) | 0.412 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 8 (9) | 14 (26.9) | 0.007 |
| Dyslipidemia, n (%) | 7 (7.9) | 11 (21.1) | 0.035 |
| COPD, n (%) | 12 (13.5) | 2 (3.8) | 0.082 |
| Immunosuppressive therapy, n (%) | 6 (6.7) | 1 (1.9) | 0.261 |
| Respiratory allergies, n (%) | 7 (7.9) | 2 (3.8) | 0.485 |
| Smoking history, n (%) | 18 (20.2) | 6 (11.5) | 0.185 |
| Clinical course and medical treatment of COVID‐19 | |||
| Length of hospital stay (days), mean ± SD | 11.9 ± 12.9 | 9.7 ± 9.7 | 0.288 |
| Pneumonia on computed tomography, n (%) | 77 (86.5) | 37 (71.1) | 0.044 |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 78 (87.6) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| Protease inhibitors, n (%) | 77 (86.5) | 16 (30.8) | <0.001 |
| Tocilizumab, n (%) | 4 (4.5) | 0 (0) | 0.297 |
| LMWH, n (%) | 51 (57.3) | 45 (86.5) | <0.001 |
| Systemic steroids, n (%) | 24 (27) | 36 (69.2) | <0.001 |
| Time elapsed from the admission and start of steroids (days), median (range) | 1 (1–8) | 0.5 (0–3) | 0.001 |
| Total duration of steroids therapy (days), mean ± SD | 10.1 ± 5.8 | 9.9 ± 6.1 | 0.882 |
| Cumulative equivalent dose of systemic steroids (mg), median (range) | 650 (480–3060) | 570 (320–1122) | 0.545 |
| Mean equivalent daily dose administered of systemic steroids (mg), mean (range) | 59 (47–161) | 53.1 (41–94) | 0.476 |
| Laboratory parameters | |||
| IL‐6 (pg/ml), median (reference values) | 17.7 (8.4–257.8) | 14.6 (2.7–78.7) | 0.019 |
| IL‐10 (pg/ml), median (range) | 7 (0–28.6) | 4.9 (1.1–16.9) | 0.606 |
| IL1‐ beta (pg/ml), median (range) | 0 (0–2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.011 |
| IL‐8 (pg/ml), median (range) | 70.5 (123.4) | 25.2 (22.6) | 0.043 |
| Fibrinogen (mg/dl), median (range) | 537 (160.5) | 597.9 (234.5) | 0.112 |
| D‐dimer (ng/ml), median (range) | 1360 (950–3126) | 1393 (299–5031) | 0.770 |
| White blood cells (1 × 109/L), mean ± SD | 5497.3 ± 3392 | 7479 ± 4675.6 | 0.005 |
| TNF‐alpha (pg/ml), median (range) | 13.1 (0.6–55.2) | 3.9 (1.3–7.8) | 0.053 |
| Ferritin (μg/L), median (range) | 1104 (55–1879) | 1100 (403–1350) | 0.678 |
| CRP (mg/L), mean ± SD | 85.1 ± 80.3 | 61.6 ± 56.6 | 0.051 |
Note: Chi‐square test and Mann‐Whitney test were used to calculate the p values for categorical and continuous variables, respectively.
Abbreviations: CD, chemosensory dysfunction; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COVID‐19, coronavirus disease 2019; CRP, C‐reactive protein; IL, interleukin; LMWH, low‐molecular weight heparin; N.B., nota bene; NOAC, novel oral anticoagulants; SD, standard deviation; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.