Smell Identification Test (SIT) for Early Diagnosis of COVID-19: Demographic and Symptoms During The First Three Pandemic Waves in Iran

Background and Aim: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a dangerous pandemic. It has several signs, such as; fever, cough, etc. Olfactory Dysfunction (OD) has been considered a prevalent symptom. In this study, we aimed to investigate the validity of the Smell Identification Test (SIT) to quickly screen for COVID-19. Case Presentation: The participants in this study were 94 patients with COVID-19 referred to the Amiralam hospital. At first, the patients were asked to explain their symptoms, including Olfactory dysfunction, fever, etc. In the next step, the patients were examined for symptoms. The olfactory function of the participants was evaluated by SIT. Conclusion: According to self-reported results, smell dysfunction was the most prevalent symptom. The results of ISIT were compared with the CT scan and RT-PCR which were performed by the hospital’s laboratory. The results showed that the highest accuracy was related to the ISIT test with 76.6%, followed by PCR with 68.5%, and Chest CT scan with 62. 1%. The results showed that OD can be considered the most common COVID-19 symptom and also that the ISIT showed the most accuracy in COVID-19 diagnosis.