Anosmia and ageusia are among the most frequent symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome, yet their association with neurological symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To compare the presence of anosmia and ageusia with neurological symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness in post-COVID-19 individuals.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change for audiology practice; this cross-sectional study addresses post-COVID smell and taste loss, not hearing, and cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.
Understanding the neurological burden of post-COVID sensory deficits is peripherally relevant to audiologists monitoring patients for related auditory or vestibular sequelae, but direct hearing implications are not addressed.
- 01Cross-sectional design examined post-COVID anosmia (smell loss) and ageusia (taste loss) against neurological symptoms.
- 02Cardiorespiratory fitness was also compared between those with and without sensory loss after COVID-19.
- 03Published in Acta Neurologica Belgica (2026).
- 04Cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
- 05Findings are tangentially relevant to audiologists managing patients with broader post-COVID sensory complaints.
Post-COVID anosmia and ageusia are associated with neurological symptoms in affected individuals.
studypartially supportedPost-COVID anosmia and ageusia are associated with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42726454
- DOI
- 10.1007/s13760-026-03189-4.
- Journal
- Acta Neurologica Belgica
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Post-COVID-19 individuals with and without anosmia and ageusia
- Intervention
- Presence of post-COVID anosmia and/or ageusia
- Comparator
- Post-COVID individuals without anosmia or ageusia
Primary outcomes
Neurological symptom burden; Cardiorespiratory fitness levels