{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T07:01:56Z","timestamp":1784617316096,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784592000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) frequently report olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, including anosmia and ageusia. Multiple studies have assessed the prevalence of these symptoms in COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of anosmia and taste dysfunction in confirmed COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings, from March 2020 to March 2023.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines. No review protocol was prospectively registered prior to this review. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar (supplementary) from 1 March 2020 to 1 March 2023. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. The methodological quality of included studies was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools for prevalence studies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Of 230 records identified across all databases, 156 remained after deduplication; 24 met the eligibility criteria, encompassing 26,068 COVID-19 patients (58.2% female). The pooled prevalence of anosmia was 44% (95% CI: 37\u201352%) and of taste dysfunction was 46% (95% CI: 39\u201354%). Subgroup analyses comparing validated versus non-validated assessment instruments revealed no statistically significant difference in prevalence estimates.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Anosmia and taste loss are common manifestations of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. The findings should be interpreted with caution given the methodological heterogeneity of included studies, reliance on self-reported measures in the majority of studies, and the absence of a prospectively registered protocol. Future studies using objective validated instruments are warranted.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1815114","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]],"date-time":"2026-07-21T06:17:28Z","timestamp":1784614648000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessing the prevalence of anosmia and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review and meta-analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Turki","family":"Aldrees","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology\u2013Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University","place":["Alkharj, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1753","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm9061753","article-title":"COVID-19: specific and non-specific clinical manifestations and symptoms: the current state of knowledge","volume":"9","author":"Baj","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Clin Med"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"525","DOI":"10.1007\/s00405-020-06284-1","article-title":"Symptomatology of COVID-19 from the otorhinolaryngology perspective: a survey of 223 SARS-CoV-2 RNA-positive patients","volume":"278","author":"Salepci","year":"2021","journal-title":"Eur Arch Otorrinolaringol"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"930","DOI":"10.1111\/jnc.15197","article-title":"Viral infection and smell loss: the case of COVID-19","volume":"157","author":"Glezer","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Neurochem"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.21053\/ceo.2020.00143","article-title":"Effects of olfactory training in patients with postinfectious olfactory dysfunction. 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