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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 17
| Issue : 3 | Page : 809 |
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COVID and the loss of smell
Rujittika Mungmungpuntipantip1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 Private Medical Consultant Center, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Department of Community Medicine, Dr DY Patil University, Pune, Maharashtra, India; Department of Tropical Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| Date of Submission | 23-Apr-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 01-Jun-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 29-Oct-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 2-Nov-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Rujittika Mungmungpuntipantip
Private Medical Consultant Center, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jdmimsu.jdmimsu_153_20
How to cite this article:
Mungmungpuntipantip R, Wiwanitkit V. COVID and the loss of smell. J Datta Meghe Inst Med Sci Univ 2022;17:809 |
Respected Sir,
“The loss of smell related searches during COVID-19 outbreak” is a very interesting issue.[1] There are limited data on this clinical problem. Recently, Walker et al. concluded that “There is a strong correlation between the frequency of searches for smell-related information and the onset of COVID-19.”[1] The Google Trends study is not a confirmation of the existence of the problem. The basic principle of “Google Trends” is tracking search activity, but it cannot give the details on the purpose of search. Transparency is the main problem in Google Trends research.[2] Reproducibility analysis is necessary for any research using Google Trends.[2] Nevertheless, this study provides useful preliminary data for further research. As noted by Xydakis et al., the loss of smell might be an important clinical problem but little recognized.[3] Lechien et al. noted that anosmia might occur independent of nasal symptoms in patients with COVID-19.[4] Here, the authors would like to share additional data from Thailand, the second country in the timeline of the emerging disease occurrence.[5] Considering 2579 patients in Thailand (April 13, 2020), there is no report on loss of smell. No patient presented with abnormal olfactory function. It is not clear whether the pathogen can directly affect olfactory cells. This is an interesting question for further research.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Walker A, Hopkins C, Surda P. Use of Google Trends to investigate loss-of-smell-related searches during the COVID-19 outbreak. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2020;10:839-47.  |
| 2. | Nuti SV, Wayda B, Ranasinghe I, Wang S, Dreyer RP, Chen SI, et al. The use of Google Trends in health care research: A systematic review. PLoS One 2014;9:e109583. |
| 3. | Xydakis MS, Dehgani-Mobaraki P, Holbrook EH, Geisthoff UW, Bauer C, Hautefort C, et al. Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19. Lancet Infect Dis 2020;20:1015-6. |
| 4. | Lechien JR, Chiesa-Estomba CM, De Siati DR, Horoi M, Le Bon SD, Rodriguez A, et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2020;277:2251-61. |
| 5. | Yasri S, Wiwanitkit V. Editorial: Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and imported case. Adv Trop Med Pub Health Int 2019;9:1-2. |
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