Study of the sensitivity and specificity of smell and taste disorders as a predictive factor of SARS-CoV-2 infection among primary care healthcare professionals: a retrospective observational study

Anna Ruiz-Comellas; Pere Roura Poch; Glòria Sauch Valmaña; Víctor Guadalupe-Fernández; Jacobo Mendioroz Peña; Queralt Miró Catalina; Josep Vidal-Alaball; Anna Ramirez-Morros

doi:10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0141

Study of the sensitivity and specificity of smell and taste disorders as a predictive factor of SARS-CoV-2 infection among primary care healthcare professionals: a retrospective observational study

BJGP Open. 2022 Aug 30;6(2):BJGPO.2021.0141. doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0141. Print 2022 Jun.

Authors

Anna Ruiz-Comellas^{1

2

3

4}, Pere Roura Poch^{3

4

5}, Glòria Sauch Valmaña^{2

3}, Víctor Guadalupe-Fernández⁶, Jacobo Mendioroz Peña⁷, Queralt Miró Catalina³, Josep Vidal-Alaball^{2

3

4}, Anna Ramirez-Morros³

Affiliations

¹ Centre d'Atenció Primària (CAP) Sant Joan de Vilatorrada. Gerència Territorial de la Catalunya Central, Institut Català de la Salut, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain.
² Health Promotion in Rural Areas Research Group, Institut Català de la Salut, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain.
³ Unitat de Suport a la Recerca de la Catalunya Central, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina, Barcelona, Spain.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya, Vic, Spain.
⁵ Consorci Sanitari de Vic, Hospital de Vic, Vic, Spain.
⁶ Epidemiological Surveillance and Response to Public Health Emergencies Service, Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain vguadalupe@gencat.cat.
⁷ Epidemiological Surveillance and Response to Public Health Emergencies Service, Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain.

Abstract

Background: Among the manifestations of COVID-19 are taste and smell disorders (TSDs).

Aim: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of TSDs and other associated symptoms to estimate predictive values for determining SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Design & setting: A retrospective observational study of healthcare professionals in Catalonia, Spain.

Method: A study of the sensitivity and specificity of TSDs has been carried out using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 as the gold standard value. Logistic regressions adjusted for age and sex were performed to identify additional symptoms that might be associated with COVID-19.

Results: The results are based on 226 healthcare workers with clinical symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, 116 with positive PCR and 110 with negative PCR. TSDs had an odds ratio (OR) of 12.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.3 to 26.2), sensitivity 60.3% and specificity 89.1%. In the logistic regression model, the association of TSD, fever or low-grade fever, shivering, dyspnoea, arthralgia, and myalgia obtained an area under the curve (AUC) of 85.7% (95% CI = 80.7 % to 90.7 %), sensitivity 82.8 %, specificity 80.0%, and positive predictive values 81.4% and negative 81.5%.

Conclusion: TSDs are a strong predictor of COVID-19. The association of TSD, fever, low-grade fever or shivering, dyspnoea, arthralgia, and myalgia correctly predicts 85.7% of the results of the COVID-19 test.

Keywords: COVID-19; change in sense of smell; change in sense of taste; general practice; primary health care; sensitivity and specificity.