Nearly nine in 10 patients reporting COVID-19-related smell or taste dysfunction completely recovered within 2 years, according to a research letter published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Claire Hopkins, MA (Oxon), and colleagues estimated the 2-year prevalence and recovery rate of smell or taste dysfunction among 168 mildly symptomatic adults at onset, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years after COVID-19. An altered sense of smell or taste was reported by 64.3% at baseline, 38.1% at 4 weeks, 17.3% at 8 weeks, 16.1% at 6 months, and 8.3% at 2 years. Complete resolution of COVID-19-associated smell or taste dysfunction occurred in 88.2% of individuals, while 9.2% reported a decrease in severity and 2.5% reported an unchanged or worse symptom. A late recovery, at more than 6 months after onset, was reported by 10.9% of patients. Persistence of at least one symptom, including non-chemosensory symptoms, at 2-year follow-up occurred in 28.0% of patients.
