Intensive Olfactory Training in Post-COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.
Am J Rhinol Allergy
; 36(6): 780-787, 2022 Nov.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1957011
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Olfactory dysfunction (OD)-including anosmia and hyposmia-is a common symptom of COVID-19. Previous studies have identified olfactory training (OT) as an important treatment for postinfectious OD; however, little is known about its benefits and optimizations after SARS-CoV-2 infection.OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to assess whether olfactory training performance can be optimized using more fragrances over a shorter period of time in patients with persistent OD after COVID-19. In addition, we determined the presence of other variables related to OD and treatment response in this population.METHODS:
This multicenter randomized clinical trial recruited 80 patients with persistent OD and prior COVID-19 infection for less than 3 months. The patients were divided into 2 groups receiving either 4 or 8 essences over 4 weeks. Subjective assessments and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) were performed before and after the treatment.RESULTS:
Significant olfactory improvement was measured subjectively and using the UPSIT in both groups; however, no significant differences between the groups were observed. Additionally, the presence of olfactory fluctuations was associated with higher UPSIT scores.CONCLUSION:
These data suggest that training intensification by increasing the number of essences for 4 weeks does not show superiority over the classical method. Moreover, fluctuant olfaction seems to be related to a higher score on the UPSIT.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Olfaction Disorders
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Rhinol Allergy
Journal subject:
Allergy and Immunology
/
Otolaryngology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
19458924221113124
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