Introduction

Anosmia and hypogeusia are frequent symptoms in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in adults, but their incidence in children is unknown.

Objective

Describe the incidence and associated characteristics of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Material and methods

Descriptive study carried out by telephone survey of patients aged between five and 18 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed between March and December, 2020.

Results

Two hundred eighty Spanish patients (female: 42.2%) with a mean age of 10.4 years (±3.54, range: 5 to 17) were analyzed, 22.5% with other diseases (mostly respiratory: 11.8%). The most frequent symptoms were fever (55.36%) and neurological symptoms (45.7%). Forty-four (15.7%) were hospitalized due to the infection, in intensive care unit (ICU): 7.1%. Forty-five patients (16.1%) had anosmia and/or hypogeusia: 32 both, eight with hypogeusia only, and five with exclusively anosmia. The mean symptom duration in days for anosmia was 36.4, and for hypogeusia it was 27.6. Either symptom was the initial manifestation in 15 patients. None had anosmia/hypogeusia with no other symptoms. Anosmia/hypogeusia was related to the presence of respiratory infection, gastroenteritis, chills, odynophagia, myalgia, asthenia, and anorexia, but not severity (hospitalization/ICU admission). Cohabitation with another infected individual was associated with a higher incidence of anosmia/hypogeusia (P = 0.041) and duration of anosmia (P = 0.006). The presence of anosmia/hypogeusia in cohabitants was associated with longer duration of anosmia (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

The incidence of anosmia/hypogeusia in children with SARS-CoV-2 was lower than that reported in adults, although with a longer duration. Although no association was found between anosmia/hypogeusia and greater disease severity, recognition of these symptoms could help identify paucisymptomatic patients.

中文翻译：

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SARS-CoV-2 感染儿科患者的嗅觉和味觉功能障碍

 介绍

嗅觉丧失和味觉减退是成人严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 感染的常见症状，但其在儿童中的发病率尚不清楚。

 客观的

描述 SARS-CoV-2 感染儿童嗅觉和味觉功能障碍的发病率和相关特征。

 材料与方法

通过电话调查对 2020 年 3 月至 12 月期间确诊的 5 至 18 岁 SARS-CoV-2 感染患者进行描述性研究。

 结果

对 280 名平均年龄为 10.4 岁（±3.54，范围：5 至 17 岁）的西班牙患者（女性：42.2%）进行了分析，其中 22.5% 患有其他疾病（主要是呼吸道疾病：11.8%）。最常见的症状是发烧（55.36%）和神经系统症状（45.7%）。 44 人（15.7%）因感染而住院，重症监护病房（ICU）：7.1%。 45 名患者 (16.1%) 患有嗅觉缺失和/或味觉减退：32 名患者两者兼有，8 名仅患有嗅觉减退，5 名仅患有嗅觉缺失。嗅觉丧失的平均症状持续时间为 36.4 天，味觉减退的平均症状持续时间为 27.6 天。这两种症状都是 15 名患者的首发表现。没有人出现嗅觉丧失/味觉减退，且没有其他症状。嗅觉缺失/味觉减退与呼吸道感染、胃肠炎、寒战、吞咽痛、肌痛、乏力和厌食有关，但与严重程度（住院/入住 ICU）无关。与另一名感染者同居与较高的嗅觉丧失/味觉减退发生率 ( P = 0.041) 和嗅觉丧失持续时间 ( P = 0.006) 相关。同居者中存在嗅觉缺失/味觉减退与嗅觉缺失持续时间较长相关（ P < 0.001）。

 结论

SARS-CoV-2 儿童中嗅觉丧失/味觉减退的发生率低于成人报告的发生率，但持续时间较长。尽管没有发现嗅觉缺失/味觉减退与疾病严重程度之间存在关联，但识别这些症状可以帮助识别缺乏症状的患者。