Health-related and specific olfaction-related quality of life in patients with chronic functional anosmia or severe hyposmia

✍ Scribed by Claudia Neuland; Thomas Bitter; Heike Marschner; Hilmar Gudziol; Orlando Guntinas-Lichius

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 109 KB
• Volume: 121
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0023-852X
• DOI: 10.1002/lary.21387

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Objectives/Hypothesis:

To measure health‐related and olfaction‐related quality of life (QoL) in patients with permanent, severe hyposmia or functional anosmia.

Study Design:

A case study in a university ENT department of patients with severe olfactory dysfunction defined by Sniffin' Sticks olfactory test kit with a score for odor threshold, discrimination, and identification (TDI) < 20 and a dysfunction lasting longer than 6 months.

Methods:

Assessment of QoL by using the SF‐36 Health Survey questionnaire and the Questionnaire for Olfactory Dysfunction (QOD).

Results:

A total of 958 patients were tested for smell disturbances from 1999 to 2009. Surveys were mailed to 527 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 280 (53%) returned completed surveys. All SF‐36 domains in severely hyposmic and anosmic patients were lower than in the German normal population. Lower SF‐36 QoL was found for some domains in female patients, older patients, and hyposmic patients (P < .05 for all groups). Based on the QOD, women showed more parosmia, and anosmic patients had more olfactory‐related impairment (P < .05 for both); in general, higher olfactory impairment and higher parosmia score measured by QOD correlated with lower TDI values (all P < .05). Multivariate analysis revealed, for SF‐36 domains, the following independent risk factors: female sex was a risk factor for bodily pain; higher age was a risk factor for physical functioning and role, bodily pain, and general health; hyposmia was a risk factor for bodily pain and mental health; QOD QoL was a risk factor for all SF‐36 scales; and QOD parosmia was a risk factor for physical role (all P < .05).

Conclusions:

QoL is severely impaired in patients with chronic severe hyposmia or anosmia. The QOD allows a more olfaction‐specific assessment of QoL than the SF‐36 instrument. Laryngoscope, 2011