Non-Randomized Comparative Study of Olfaction in post-COVID-19 Children. Intermediary Results

The aim of the study is to estimate olfaction in post-COVID-19 children. Research methods. The study included 81 children, they were divided into two groups: those who had COVID-19 and those who had not. Survey procedures. Pediatrician, neurologist and otolaryngologists clinical examinations, cognitive status estimation, olfactometry were performed. Results. The olfaction perception threshold post-COVID-19 children and adolescents was higher than in children who have not undergone this infection. Changes in olfaction perception threshold did not depend on how participants and their parents informed about the sense of smell. The involvement of olfactory sensitivity in the pathological process does not depend on the infection severity itself or premorbid neurological lesion. Conclusion. It has been shown for the first time in the Russian sample that changes in sense of smell persist in children 3–4 weeks after recovery from COVID-19.