Clijsters M, Bischoff S, van Waterschoot J, Hens E, Nyongesa V, Van Bulck P, Jorissen M, Van Gerven L
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Rhinology Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kantonsspital St.Gallen, Switzerland.
Rhinology. 2025 Apr 1;63(2):163-171. doi: 10.4193/Rhin23.383.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in olfactory dysfunction (OD), increasing the need for specialized care. Thi study explores the prevalence, characteristics, and clinical implications of OD in a specialized Smell & Taste Clinic established at the ENT-HNS department of the University Hospitals Leuven (UZ Leuven) in 2021.
We included consecutive patients with OD in the observational longitudinal ProspeRo’Scent registry at UZ Leuven between September 2021 and April 2024. Chemosensory assessment was done with psychophysical tests (Sniffin’ Sticks TDI and Taste sprays) and questionnaires.
Of the 203 unique, consecutive patients, COVID-19-associated OD (C19OD) was the predominant etiology (50.2%), followed by idiopathic (25.1%), and post-traumatic (8.9%) OD. Parosmia was present in 60.2% of patients, with the highest prevalence in C19OD cases (80.9%). Sniffin’ Sticks TDI testing indicated that patients with parosmia had better olfactory thresholds and discrimination scores than patients without. During follow-up (n=116; average 7.7 months), 31% of C19OD patients exhibited clinically relevant improvement in TDI scores, compared to 13% for the other etiologies. Quality of life, as assessed by sQOD-NS, was not significantly different between etiologies but correlated with higher parosmia scores.
C19OD patients suffered more from parosmia, correlating with worse quality of life, but had better baseline TDI scores and demonstrated a higher likelihood of clinically relevant improvement over time compared to other etiologies.
新冠疫情导致嗅觉功能障碍（OD）激增，对专业护理的需求增加。本研究探讨了2021年在鲁汶大学医院（UZ鲁汶）耳鼻喉头颈外科设立的专业嗅觉与味觉诊所中OD的患病率、特征及临床意义。
我们纳入了2021年9月至2024年4月期间在UZ鲁汶的观察性纵向ProspeRo'Scent登记处连续就诊的OD患者。通过心理物理测试（嗅觉棒味觉辨别力测试和味觉喷雾剂）和问卷调查进行化学感觉评估。
在203例连续的独特患者中，新冠病毒相关嗅觉功能障碍（C19OD）是主要病因（50.2%），其次是特发性（25.1%）和创伤后（8.9%）OD。60.2%的患者存在嗅觉倒错，在C19OD病例中患病率最高（80.9%）。嗅觉棒味觉辨别力测试表明，嗅觉倒错患者的嗅觉阈值和辨别分数比无嗅觉倒错患者更好。在随访期间（n = 116；平均7.7个月），31%的C19OD患者的味觉辨别力测试分数有临床相关改善，而其他病因患者的这一比例为13%。通过嗅觉相关生活质量简表（sQOD-NS）评估的生活质量在不同病因之间无显著差异，但与较高的嗅觉倒错分数相关。
C19OD患者嗅觉倒错更为严重，与较差的生活质量相关，但与其他病因相比，其基线味觉辨别力测试分数更好，且随着时间推移临床相关改善的可能性更高。
