The Norfolk Smell & Taste Clinic, The Norfolk & Waveney ENT Service, Norwich, United Kingdom.
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.
ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2021;83(5):299-303. doi: 10.1159/000516109. Epub 2021 May 10.
To highlight the importance of the need for new treatment modalities, this study aimed to characterise the experience of patients with postinfectious olfactory dysfunction (PIOD) in terms of the treatment they received.
An online survey was hosted by the Norwich Clinical Trials Unit on the secure REDCap server. Members of the charity Fifth Sense (the UK charity that represents and supports people affected by smell and taste disorders) were invited to participate.
There were 149 respondents, of whom 127 had identified themselves as having (or had) PIOD. The age range of respondents to the survey was 28-85 years, with a mean of 58 ± 12 years, with the duration of their disorder <5 years in 63% of cases. Respondents reported experiencing variable treatment with oral and/or intranasal steroids given typically (28%), often with no benefit, but with 50% receiving no treatment whatsoever; only 3% reported undertaking olfactory training. Over two-thirds of patients experience parosmia and, up to 5 years from the onset of the problem, were still actively seeking a solution.
There appears to be a need to encourage greater use of guidelines for olfactory disorders amongst medical practitioners and also to develop more effective treatments for patients with PIOD, where there is clearly an unmet need.
为了强调需要新的治疗方法的重要性，本研究旨在从患者接受的治疗角度描述感染后嗅觉功能障碍（PIOD）患者的体验。
诺威奇临床试验单位在安全的 REDCap 服务器上主持了一项在线调查。邀请了第五感慈善机构（代表和支持嗅觉和味觉障碍患者的英国慈善机构）的成员参加。
共有 149 名受访者，其中 127 名受访者表示自己患有（或患有）PIOD。该调查的受访者年龄范围为 28-85 岁，平均年龄为 58 ± 12 岁，63%的患者疾病持续时间<5 年。受访者报告说接受了各种治疗，包括口服和/或鼻内类固醇治疗，这些治疗通常（28%）没有效果，但有 50%的患者没有接受任何治疗；只有 3%的患者报告接受了嗅觉训练。超过三分之二的患者出现嗅觉倒错，从发病开始长达 5 年，仍在积极寻求解决方案。
似乎需要鼓励医疗从业者更多地使用嗅觉障碍指南，并为 PIOD 患者开发更有效的治疗方法，因为显然存在未满足的需求。
