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. 2022 Mar 2;26(4):e657-e660.
doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1742761. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Postinfectious Olfactory Complaints: A Follow-up Study

Giulio Cesare Passali  1 , Desiderio Passali  2 , Giorgio Ciprandi  3
Affiliations

Postinfectious Olfactory Complaints: A Follow-up Study

Giulio Cesare Passali et al. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. .

Abstract

Introduction Acute upper respiratory infection (AURI) is the most common cause of postinfectious olfactory dysfunction (PIOD). Objective We investigated the prevalence of PIOD in a large group of patients reporting persistent smell impairment perception after the AURI resolution. Methods Olfactometry was performed within 1 month after the common cold resolution and after 1 year in 467 (299 males, mean age 41.7 years) outpatients. The Sniffin' Sticks olfactory test (Burghart instruments, Wedel, Germany) was used. Results Anosmia was documented in 28 (6%) patients, hyposmia in 33 (7%), and cacosmia in 55 (11.7%). After 1 year, PIOD improved in 82 (79.6%) patients re-tested. Conclusion The current study demonstrated that persistent olfactory dysfunction is a relevant symptom in patients with AURI, even though many patients had normal olfactometry. Thus, smell impairment deserves careful attention and requires objective documentation.

Keywords: acute upper respiratory infection; olfactometry; olfactory dysfunction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interests The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

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