Predictive value of olfactory and taste symptoms in the diagnosis of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Predictive value of olfactory and taste symptoms in the diagnosis of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Via pubmed: "clin exp otorhinola... Related Articles Predictive value of olfactory and taste symptoms in the diagnosis of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Jan 25;: Authors: Kim DH, Kim SW, Stybayeva G, Lim SY, Hwang SH Abstract Objectives: This study evaluated the diagnostic value of the various symptoms of COVID-19 in the screening of this disease. Methods: Two authors (working independently) comprehensively reviewed six databases (PubMed, Cochrane database, Embase, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar) from their dates of inception until November 2020. Patient-reported symptoms, including otolaryngologic and general symptoms, were evaluated for their predictive values in adults who underwent testing for COVID-19. True-positive, true-negative, false-positive, and false-negative data were extracted from each study. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool (ver. 2). Results: Twenty-eight prospective and retrospective studies were included in the meta-analysis. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of a change in olfaction and/or taste was 10.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.43; 12.34). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.8. Olfactory and/or taste changes had a low sensitivity (0.57, 95%CI: 0.47; 0.66) but moderate negative (0.78, 95%CI: 0.69; 0.85] and positive (0.78, 95%CI: 0.66; 0.87) predictive values and a high specificity (0.91, (95%CI: 0.83; 0.96). Olfactory and/or taste changes had a higher diagnostic value than the other otolaryngologic symptoms, a higher DOR and specificity, and a similar or higher diagnostic value than the other general symptoms. Conclusion: Among otolaryngologic symptoms, olfactory and/or taste dysfunction was the most highly associated with COVID-19 and its general symptoms and should be considered when screening for the disease. PMID: 33541033 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.