Study of the prevalence of smell disorders among students at the Syrian Private University after the Corona pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Background COVID-19 has emerged as a public health emergency caused by SARS-CoV-2. However, few studies have reported on post-pandemic smell disorders resulting from COVID-19 infection. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate these disorders among a sample of students at a Syrian university. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study, conducted on 504 students at the Syrian Private University, in the period between 3/13/2023 and 6/7/2023. A questionnaire was distributed in paper and electronic form, and the questionnaire included demographic information for individuals, such as gender, age, and year of school, in addition to the symptoms of the Corona virus that they experienced. Results The study included 504 students; females (58.7%) compared to males (41.3%). The ages of the participants ranged between 18–32 years, with an average of approximately 22 years. The Faculty of Medicine had the largest participation (30.8%). The largest percentage of students were non-smokers (58.9%). A large percentage of students have been exposed to the virus (82.9%). (41.3%) of the students took a PCR test. The result was positive for (32.1%). The most common symptoms they experienced were fever (21%), headache (17.1%), cough (16.2%), and muscle pain (14.3%). Duration of symptoms “less than 20 days” (69.6%). More than half of the students had lost their sense of smell (61.5%). A percentage of students suffered from parasomnia (28.8%). A smaller percentage suffered from phantosmia (16.5%). A percentage of them suffered from a compulsion to smell (19.2%). We found that the rates of confirmed and probable HIV infection were higher among females (P-Value = 0.008). We also found that students at the Faculty of Medicine had higher infections with the virus compared to the rest of the faculties at the university (P-Value = 0.012). Conclusion This study revealed that students at the Syrian Private University were exposed to Covid-19 to a large extent. They suffered from the consequences of infection with the virus, with regard to smell disorders (anosmia, parasomnia, phantosmia) to varying degrees.