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Does phenotypic expression of bitter taste receptor T2R38 show association with COVID‐19 severity?
Author(s) -
Barham Henry P.,
Taha Mohamed A.,
Hall Christian A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.22692
Subject(s) - medicine , taste , outbreak , covid-19 , taste disorder , bitter taste , retrospective cohort study , gastroenterology , coronavirus , diarrhea , disease , food science , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , chemistry
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome‒associated coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been identified as the pathogen causing the outbreak of coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) commencing in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Multiple reports have shown subjective loss of taste and smell as an early and hallmark symptom for COVID‐19. Methods A retrospective study was performed in our clinical practice during July 2020 on patients positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 via polymerase chain reaction. All patients were categorized into 3 groups (supertasters, tasters, and nontasters) via taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide, thiourea, and sodium benzoate with taste strip testing. The results of the taste strip tests were correlated with clinical course. Results A total of 100 patients (mean, 51 [range, 24‐82] years of age; 44 [44%] women) were assessed. We found that 21 of 100 (21%) were nontasters, 79 of 100 (79%) were tasters, and 0 of 100 (0%) were supertasters ( p < 0.001). Twenty‐one of 21 (100%) ( p < 0.001) of the patients requiring inpatient admission were classified as nontasters. All 79 (100%) ( p < 0.001) of the patients who displayed mild to moderate symptoms not requiring admission were classified as tasters. Conclusion Our results show objective data that taste disturbance, specifically global loss of taste, appears to correlate with the clinical course specific to each individual, because 100% of the patients requiring inpatient admission were classified as nontasters.