Louvrier Manon, Saussez Sven, Lechien Jerome R
Division of Laryngology and Broncho-esophagology, Department of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, EpiCURA Hospital, UMONS Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons (UMons), Mons, Belgium.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, CHU de Bruxelles, CHU Saint-Pierre, School of Medicine, Brussels, Belgium.
J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025 Jan-Dec;54:19160216251328960. doi: 10.1177/19160216251328960. Epub 2025 May 3.
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the psychological distress associated with long-lasting COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction (OD).MethodsPatients with an OD lasting for more than 6 months were consecutively recruited from the Dour Medical Center (Belgium) from August 2023 to January 2024. The olfaction was investigated with the Olfactory Disorder Questionnaires (ODQ) and the threshold, identification, and discrimination (TDI) testing. General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to investigate the psychological distress of patients. The olfactory and psychological outcomes of patients were compared with a group of individuals without OD.ResultsA total of 220 patients and 102 asymptomatic individuals completed the evaluations. The mean duration of OD was 31.1 ± 25.1 months. The mean GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher in OD patients than in asymptomatic individuals ( < 0.008). The OD patient prevalence of mild-to-severe depression (51.2% vs. 44.1%) and mild-to-severe anxiety (39.5% vs. 32.4%) disorders was significantly higher than asymptomatic individuals. Severe anxiety was associated with the presence of anosmia. GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores were higher in females than in males. The severity of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) was significantly associated with the severity of OD (ODQ) and nasal symptoms (SNOT-22).ConclusionThe presence of a long-lasting OD in patients consulting in otolaryngology is associated with psychological distress. While the causality relationship remains unclear, depression and anxiety symptoms must be investigated in this subgroup of patients with long COVID-19.
目的
本研究旨在调查与长期新冠病毒感染嗅觉功能障碍（OD）相关的心理困扰。
方法
2023年8月至2024年1月，从比利时多尔医学中心连续招募OD持续超过6个月的患者。使用嗅觉障碍问卷（ODQ）以及阈值、识别和辨别（TDI）测试来评估嗅觉。采用广泛性焦虑障碍量表（GAD-7）和患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）来调查患者的心理困扰。将患者的嗅觉和心理结果与一组无OD的个体进行比较。
结果
共有220名患者和102名无症状个体完成了评估。OD的平均持续时间为31.1±25.1个月。OD患者的GAD-7和PHQ-9平均得分显著高于无症状个体（<0.008）。OD患者中轻度至重度抑郁（51.2%对44.1%）和轻度至重度焦虑（39.5%对32.4%）障碍的患病率显著高于无症状个体。严重焦虑与嗅觉丧失有关。女性的GAD-7和PHQ-9得分高于男性。抑郁（PHQ-9）和焦虑（GAD-7）的严重程度与OD（ODQ）和鼻部症状（SNOT-22）的严重程度显著相关。
结论
在耳鼻喉科就诊的患者中，长期存在的OD与心理困扰有关。虽然因果关系尚不清楚，但对于这一长期新冠病毒感染患者亚组，必须调查其抑郁和焦虑症状。
