Covid: loss of smell and taste associated with the development of more antibodies

Covid: loss of smell and taste associated with the development of more antibodies.

Chemosensory alterations due to Covid-19 with suprathreshold IgG antibody titers.

Alterations in smell and taste are closely linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and serological response rates among individuals with mild disease (which is the type of course that usually leads to these symptoms) does not clarify why no particular signs are found. That is until researchers from Columbia University and Taiwan University set out to identify whether chemosensory alterations associated with COVID-19 were predictive of a serological response.

The study sample consisted of 306 adults (≥18 years), recovering, who volunteered to donate plasma following COVID-19 illness between April and June 2020. Documenting the Status of COVID PCR -19 (diagnostic test), of the clinical symptoms at the time of the disease and of the therapeutic course, was performed at the time of the serological analysis, in which the researchers evaluated the chemosensory function using the deficits perceived by the patient.

Of 306 patients who underwent serological and chemosensory evaluation, 196 ( 64.1% ) and 195 (63.7%) reported subjective olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, respectively, during the first two weeks of COVID-19 infection. The odds of developing suprathreshold IgG antibody titers were 1.98 times higher among those who reported impaired smell and 2.02 times higher among those who impaired compared to those who had normal sense of smell and taste. The statistical models used for the study adjusted the results for sex, age, race/ethnicity, symptom duration, smoking status, and comorbidity index and demonstrated that impaired smell and taste still remained significant predictors of a positive response to the IgG.

The study authors state that this information may be useful for patient counseling and that further research should be conducted to better understand the onset and duration of serological response in these patients.

• Chemosensory deficits are best predictor of serologic response among individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 (journals.plos.org)