Analysis of the clinical effect of olfactory training on olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection

Abstract

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom during otolaryngology outpatient service. Objective: To explore the clinical effect of olfactory training on olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), and its influence factors. Material and methods: A total of 60 confirmed cases of URTI-induced olfactory dysfunction were enrolled into the present study. The olfactory training lasted for 24 weeks. These patients were tested using Sniffin' Sticks and threshold-discrimination-identification (TDI) composite scoring before treatment, and at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment. Results: It was found that URTI-induced olfactory dysfunction patients had more evident deterioration in odor identification ability. The effective rates of olfactory training on olfactory dysfunction at 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment were 1.67%, 26.67% and 41.67%, respectively. The TDI scores at the 3rd and 6th months, but not at the 1st month, were significantly higher, when compared to those before treatment. The course of diseases was a significant influence factor on the therapeutic effect of olfactory training (OR = 0.805, 95% CI: 0.696-0.931). Conclusions: Olfactory training can efficiently cure URTI-induced olfactory dysfunction, and in particular, significantly improve the odor discrimination ability and odor identification ability. Significance: Providing useful data for further research regarding olfactory dysfunction.

Keywords: Olfactory dysfunction; olfactory training; upper respiratory tract infection.