Pro-inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19-related persistent olfactory dysfunction.

Introduction: While localized inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of acute coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) olfactory dysfunction (OD), persistent COVID-19 OD remains poorly understood with limited therapeutics. Our prospective study evaluated olfactory cleft (OC) biomarkers as predictors of persistent OD in mucus sampling.

Methods: COVID-19 subjects with persistent OD >3 months confirmed by psychophysical olfaction tests were compared to COVID-19 subjects with no OD and those with no prior infection.