Antibody response, associated symptoms and profile of patients presumably infected by SARS-CoV-2 with taste or smell disorders in the SAPRIS multicohort study

Background: Taste or smell disorders have been reported as strongly associated with COVID-19 diagnosis. We aimed to identify subject characteristics, symptom associations, and antibody response intensity associated with taste or smell disorders.

Methods: We used data from SAPRIS, a study based on a consortium of five prospective cohorts gathering 279,478 participants in the French general population. In the analysis, we selected participants who were presumably infected by SARS-CoV-2 during the first epidemic wave.

Results: The analysis included 3,439 patients with a positive ELISA-Spike. Sex (OR = 1.28 [95% CI 1.05-1.58] for women), smoking (OR = 1.54 [95% CI 1.13-2.07]), consumption of more than 2 drinks of alcohol a day (OR = 1.37 [95% CI 1.06-1.76]) were associated with a higher probability of taste or smell disorders. The relationship between age and taste or smell disorders was non-linear. Serological titers were associated with taste or smell disorders: OR = 1.31 [95% CI 1.26-1.36], OR = 1.37 [95% CI 1.33-1.42] and OR = 1.34 [95% CI 1.29-1.39] for ELISA-Spike, ELISA-Nucleocapsid and seroneutralization, respectively. Among participants with taste or smell disorders, 90% reported a wide variety of other symptoms whereas 10% reported no other symptom or only rhinorrhea.

Conclusions: Among patients with a positive ELISA-Spike test, women, smokers and people drinking more than 2 drinks a day were more likely to develop taste or smell disorders. This symptom was strongly associated with an antibody response. The overwhelming majority of patients with taste or smell disorders experienced a wide variety of symptoms.