Reliability and validity of a brief version of the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (brief QOD) in patients with olfactory dysfunction

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the brief version of Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (brief QOD). Methods: A total of 372 patients participated in this study. Olfactory function was examined using the Sniffin’ Sticks test. The brief version of QOD, including 4 items concerning parosmia (QOD-P), 7 items concerning quality of life (QOD-QOL), and 3 visual analog scales to rate disease burden, awareness of the disorder and issues related to professional life (QOD-VAS), was used to assess subjective information on olfactory dysfunction. We evaluated the split-half reliability, internal consistency and validity of the brief QOD. Results: The split-half reliability was 0.60 (QOD-P), 0.87 (QOD-QOL), and 0.66 (QOD-VAS), respectively. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.63 (QOD-P), 0.87 (QOD-QOL), and 0.71 (QOD-VAS), respectively. Olfactory function was found to be associated with QOD-P, QOD-QOL and QOD-VAS. Conclusions: The brief QOD is a suitable scale for the assessment of subjective severity of olfactory dysfunction for purposes such as treatment counseling, disability assessment, treatment control, and research in patients with olfactory disorder.

Possibilities of correction of post viral other dysfunction in the application of COVID-19

Introduction. One of the characteristic manifestations of COVID-19 is a disorder of smell, which, according to the literature, occurs in 61.2% - 85.6% of patients with COVID-19. The article discusses the problems of post-viral dysosmia in COVID-19 convalescents. Purpose of the study. Evaluation of olfactory disorders in patients after coronavirus infection and the possibility of obtaining additional benefits from prescribing bioregulatory medicine drugs.Materials and methods. The assessment of the severity of olfactory disorders in patients, taking into account the age according to self-assessment data using a visual analogue scale, as well as an objective assessment of odor identification using the Sniffin ‘Sticks Screening 12 Test. The possibility of increasing the efficiency of recovery of olfactory disorders by prescribing complex preparations of bioregulatory therapy (main group) was studied.Results. The percentage of persons who fully restored the olfactory function in the main group was 56.5%, while in the patients of the control group only in 6.6%. Faster (on the 7th day) dynamics of identification testing using SST-12 in patients taking complex preparations of bioregulation therapy was noted. On the 3rd day of therapy, there was a significant decrease in anxiety in patients treated with bioregulatory drugs.Discussion. The conducted study objectively confirmed that the olfactory disorder is present in the vast majority of patients with ARS. The appointment of bioregulatory therapy contributes to the early restoration of the olfactory function.Conclusions. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that it is advisable to use bioregulatory drugs.

Symptoms of Depression in Patients with Chemosensory Disorders

Chemosenses are frequently reported in patients with chemosensory impairment.The present investigation intends to clarify whether there are differential pacts onsymptoms of depression between the types (smell dysfunction, taste dysfunction,and combination smell and taste dysfunction), severe- ity, length or source ofdysfunction. At the same time, diminished olfaction input and taste appear tohave a detrimental influence on emotional dysfunction aggravation. In patientswith mixed olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in clinical practice, earlymanagement should be considered for depressure symptoms. The current studysought to compare depressive symptoms in patients with mixedolfactory/gustatory dysfunction, purely olfactory disorder, and gustatorydisorder, as well as to investigate the relationships between chemosensoryfunction and depressive symptoms in various groups.

A study of depression, partnership and sexual satisfaction in patients with post-traumatic olfactory disorders

Post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction (PTOD) is associated with a significant decrease in quality of life. The present study aimed to explore whether PTOD is associated with depression and changes in sexuality. There were two groups in this case–control study. The patient group consisted of patients with PTOD (n = 55), and the control group comprised healthy individuals without the olfactory disorder (n = 115). Olfactory function, depression, partnership, and sexual satisfaction were assessed using the Iranian version of the Sniffin’ Sticks test (Ir-SST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Enrich Couple Scale (ECS) and Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSSW). The BDI scores were higher in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001). The SSSW score was lower in the patient group than in controls (p < 0.01), although the ECS score was not significantly different between patients and controls. Also, there was no significant difference in the severity of trauma between marital satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. However, the analysis showed a statistically significant difference in depression scores in connection with the head trauma severity. In the PTOD group, depression was increased and sexual satisfaction declined. Understanding the association of olfactory dysfunction with depression and sexuality allows patients and doctors to deal with less notable consequences of this disorder.

Symptoms of Depression in Patients with Chemosensory Disorders

Chemosenses are frequently reported in patients with chemosensory impairment. The present investigation intends to clarify whether there are differential pacts on symptoms of depression between the types (smell dysfunction, taste dysfunction, and combination smell and taste dysfunction), severe- ity, length or source of dysfunction. At the same time, diminished olfaction input and taste appear to have a detrimental influence on emotional dysfunction aggravation. In patients with mixed olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in clinical practice, early management should be considered for depressure symptoms. The current study sought to compare depressive symptoms in patients with mixed olfactory/gustatory dysfunction, purely olfactory disorder, and gustatory disorder, as well as to investigate the relationships between chemosensory function and depressive symptoms in various groups.

Prevalence and Correlates of Parosmia and Phantosmia among Smell Disorders

Among those many individuals who suffer from a reduced odor sensitivity (hyposmia/anosmia) some individuals also experience disorders that lead to odor distortion, such as parosmia (i.e., distorted odor with a known source), or odor phantoms (i.e., odor sensation without an odor source). We surveyed a large population with at least one olfactory disorder (N = 2031) and found that odor distortions were common (46%), with respondents reporting either parosmia (19%), phantosmia (11%), or both (16%). In comparison to respondents with hyposmia or anosmia, respondents with parosmia were more likely to be female, young, and suffered from post-viral olfactory loss (p < 0.001), while phantosmia occurred most frequently in middle-aged respondents (p < 0.01) and was more likely to be caused by head trauma than parosmia (p < 0.01). A higher prevalence of odor distortion was observed 3 months to a year after their olfactory symptom onset (p < 0.001), which coincides with the timeline of physiological recovery. Additionally, we observed that the frequency and duration of distortions negatively affects quality of life, with parosmia showing a higher range of severity than phantosmia (p < 0.001). Previous research often grouped these distortions together, but our results show that they have distinct patterns of demographics, medical history, and loss in quality of life.

Analysis of Steroid Effect in Patients with Olfactory Dysfunction

Background and Objectives Olfaction plays an important role on sensing and discriminating smell and taste. The number of patients visiting outpatient department for treatment of olfactory dysfunction is increasing along with the change in patients’ perception about the importance of olfactory function.Subjects and Method Patients with olfactory dysfunction, who visited the hospital from 2010 to 2018, were included in this study. The medical records were reviewed focusing on the Korean Version of Sniffin’ Stick, the CT finding of olfactory cleft or signs of sinusitis, and the effect of oral steroids. Postviral olfactory disorder (PVOD) patients and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients were treated by oral steroid, starting on prednisolon (Solondo Tab^®, YuHan Corp.; 40 mg per day) and tapered for 2 weeks.Results There were 13 cases where patients’ sense of smell was improved only for a short period of time after taking steroids but worsened thereafter. They showed improvement of olfactory function every time they took steroids. We defined this group as “steroid dependent olfactory dysfunction.”Conclusion It is necessary to understand the physiology and molecular biologic mechanisms behind the causes of olfactory dysfunction in order to establish the diagnostic criteria and treatment strategy. Steroid dependent olfactory dysfunction also needs more investigation.

The effect of sniffing Turkish coffee on olfactory disorders in COVID-19 patients : An experimental clinical study

The current study aimed to examine the effect of sniffing Turkish coffee on the sense of smell in COVID-19 patients. This study utilized the experiment-control method. Data were collected using a patient and disease information form and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) Test. An experimental group of patients sniffed Turkish coffee, and the coffee’s effect on the patients’ sense of smell was examined. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 (IBM). Of the patients in the experimental group, 25% had moderate hyposmia, 58.3% had severe hyposmia, and 16.7% had anosmia prior to sniffing Turkish coffee. After sniffing the Turkish coffee, 13.3% of these patients regained their ability to smell normally, while 18.3% had mild hyposmia, 45% had moderate hyposmia, 6.7% had severe hyposmia, and 16.7% had anosmia. There was no difference in the control group between first and second measurement. COVID-19 patients who sniffed Turkish coffee intermittently regained some of their sense of smell for one hour. Turkish coffee is cheap, fragrant, widely available, and easy to access. Therefore, results of this study suggest that it may be recommended for treating olfactory disorder in COVID-19 patients.