Tansuker Deniz, Coşkun Berna Uslu, Uçal Yusuf Orhan, Sözen Esra, Erdurak Cem, Sakalli Erdal
From the *Department of Otolaryngology, Devrek State Hospital, Devrek, Zonguldak; †Department of Otolaryngology, Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul; ‡Department of Otolaryngology, Ercis State Hospital, Ercis, Van; and §Department of Otolaryngology, Hisar Intercontinental Hospital, and ∥Department of Otolaryngology, Safa Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
J Craniofac Surg. 2014 Jul;25(4):e339-43. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000000599.
Allergic rhinitis (AR), a chronic inflammatory disorder of the nasal mucosa, affects approximately 20% of the world's population and often causes olfactory dysfunction. Conventional treatments cannot cure it, but only alleviate and control the symptoms. Systemic immunotherapy (SIT) is the only curative treatment for AR, but its positive effect on olfactory function has not been quantitatively demonstrated. We measured the olfactory function in patients using a "Sniffin' Sticks" test and analyzed the effects of subcutaneous SIT.
The study included 12 patients (aged 13-44 years) who were eligible to receive subcutaneous SIT to treat AR between 2010 and 2012 in the Department of Otolaryngology, Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital. A 3-step Sniffin' Sticks test was performed before and 18 months after subcutaneous SIT. The data collected before and after treatment were compared for each patient.
The average scores for smell test parameters increased after treatment. Although improvements in the mean threshold, mean discrimination, and mean total scores were not significant, the mean identification score was significantly improved after treatment (P < 0.05). Age, sex, and smoking were not significantly related to the changes in the parameters.
Subcutaneous SIT improved the olfactory performance in AR patients. Additional studies with larger patient populations and longer follow-up periods are needed to establish subcutaneous SIT as an effective treatment for olfactory disorders in these patients.
变应性鼻炎（AR）是一种鼻黏膜慢性炎症性疾病，影响着全球约20%的人口，且常导致嗅觉功能障碍。传统治疗方法无法治愈该病，只能缓解和控制症状。全身免疫疗法（SIT）是AR的唯一治愈性治疗方法，但其对嗅觉功能的积极作用尚未得到定量证实。我们使用“嗅觉棒”测试对患者的嗅觉功能进行了测量，并分析了皮下SIT的效果。
该研究纳入了2010年至2012年期间在锡斯利埃法尔培训与研究医院耳鼻喉科符合接受皮下SIT治疗AR条件的12例患者（年龄13 - 44岁）。在皮下SIT前及治疗后18个月进行了3步“嗅觉棒”测试。对每位患者治疗前后收集的数据进行比较。
治疗后嗅觉测试参数的平均得分有所提高。虽然平均阈值、平均辨别力和平均总分的改善不显著，但治疗后平均识别得分有显著提高（P < 0.05）。年龄、性别和吸烟与这些参数的变化无显著相关性。
皮下SIT改善了AR患者的嗅觉表现。需要开展更多纳入更大患者群体和更长随访期的研究，以确立皮下SIT作为这些患者嗅觉障碍的有效治疗方法。
