Introduction:

Multiple scientific reports certified that disorders of taste and smell are more frequent since COVID-19 onset, reporting various pathophysiological mechanisms to explain these alterations.

Objective:

To methodize the available scientific evidence related to smell and taste disorders caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Method:

A bibliographic review, based on the documentary analyses, systematization and contrasting view of scientific information on the topic, was carried out. Search was conducted on available databases (SciELO, Medline, Scopus, Medscape), using the web search engine Academic Google.

Development:

Information gathered was performed based on taste and smell morphofunctional aspects; structure and replication of SARS-CoV-2; virus interaction with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and its affinity for the converting enzyme receptor; pathophysiological mechanisms of these dysfunctions.

Conclusions:

Although alterations of smell and taste are described in patients with COVID-19, the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with these chemosensory dysfunctions are not totally clarified. However, the onset of these symptoms in absence of other respiratory illnesses should alert health care personnel concerning to a possible SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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