Diagnosis and Therapy of Smell and Taste Disorders

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Otolaryngology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2024 | Viewed by 2222

Special Issue Editor

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Interests: psychophysics of human olfaction; flavor perception; diagnostic procedures in smell and taste;
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, smell and taste disorders have gained widespread attention among healthcare professionals and patients. Anosmia, hyposmia, and parosmia turned out to be some of the leading symptoms of the disease. Consequently, research on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the chemical senses rapidly increased. As the pathology, prognosis, and therapy of COVID-19-related chemosensory dysfunction are still not fully understood, further research is urgently needed.

However, causes of smell and taste loss other than COVID-19 should not be missed. There exist a wide range of pathophysiological mechanisms leading to reduced or altered chemosensory function (e.g., inflammation, trauma, neurodegenerative disease, and aging). In particular, new drugs for the therapy of sinunasal polyps turned out to be highly effective in restoring the sense of smell. However, patient selection, course, and prognosis of olfactory function are not clarified yet.

This Special Issue will gather research on all aspects of olfaction and taste, including epidemiology, prognosis, diagnosis, and therapy.

Dr. Christian A. Mueller
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • smell
  • taste
  • anosmia
  • hyposmia
  • parosmia
  • diagnosis
  • therapy
  • smell training
  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV2

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1497 KiB  
Article
Heterogeneous Damage to the Olfactory Epithelium in Patients with Post-Viral Olfactory Dysfunction
by Shu Kikuta, Bing Han and Tatsuya Yamasoba
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(15), 5007; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12155007 - 29 Jul 2023
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Abstract
Objectives: Post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) is a neurogenic disorder caused by a common cold virus. Based on the homology of deduced amino acid sequences, olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in both mice and humans express either class I or class II odorant receptor genes [...] Read more.
Objectives: Post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) is a neurogenic disorder caused by a common cold virus. Based on the homology of deduced amino acid sequences, olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in both mice and humans express either class I or class II odorant receptor genes encoding class I and class II OSNs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether OSN damage in PVOD occurs uniformly in both neuron types. Materials and methods: The characteristics of PVOD patients were compared with those of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) or post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction (PTOD). Briefly, subjects underwent orthonasal olfaction tests using five different odors (T&T odors) and a retronasal olfaction test using a single odor (IVO odor). The regions in the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) activated by the T&T and the IVO odors were also examined. Results: Multivariate analysis of 307 cases of olfactory dysfunction (PVOD, 118 cases; CRS, 161 cases; and PTOD, 28 cases) revealed that a combination of responses to the IVO odor, but not to the T&T odors, is characteristic of PVOD, with high specificity (p < 0.001). Imaging analysis of GCaMP3 mice showed that the IVO odor selectively activated the OB region in which the axons of class I OSNs converged, whereas the T&T odors broadly activated the OB region in which axons of class I and class II OSNs converged. Conclusions: A response to T&T odors, but not IVO odor, in PVOD suggests that class I OSNs are injured preferentially, and that OSN damage in PVOD may occur heterogeneously in a neuron-type-dependent manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Therapy of Smell and Taste Disorders)
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10 pages, 678 KiB  
Article
Smell Dysfunction in Patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Impact on Quality of Life
by Minan Y. Al-Ezzi, Khalid S. Khan and Anwar R. Tappuni
J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12(7), 2724; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12072724 - 06 Apr 2023
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Abstract
Objectives: Patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) often report smell and taste disturbances. However, the correlation between smell impairment and mucosal dryness is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the following: (1) the prevalence of smell hypofunction in [...] Read more.
Objectives: Patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) often report smell and taste disturbances. However, the correlation between smell impairment and mucosal dryness is not well understood. The objectives of this study were to investigate the following: (1) the prevalence of smell hypofunction in patients with SS; (2) the impact of smell hypofunction on their quality of life (QoL); (3) whether the patients’ smell is correlated with xerostomia; and (4) whether the patients’ smell is affected by taste hypofunction, disease duration, age, smoking or self-reported neuropathy. Methodology: An ethically approved cross-sectional study was conducted on 65 female patients with SS and 62 sex-matched healthy controls. Their smell was assessed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test. Their taste acuity was assessed using the Taste Strips Test. A visual analogue scale was used for the self-assessment of smell and taste functions. Xerostomia was assessed by the salivary flow rate, clinical oral dryness score and the Xerostomia Inventory. The patients’ QoL and mental health well-being were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: In the SS group, the patients’ smell function was impaired in 27/65 patients compared with the controls (15/62, p < 0.05), and it did not correlate with the severity of xerostomia, taste acuity (r = 0.05, p = 0.6) or self-reported nasal dryness (r = −0.02, p = 0.7). In the patients’ group, smell hypofunction was not correlated with disease duration (β = 0.1, 95% CI = −0.07–0.1) or smoking (β = −0.02, 95% CI = −8–7). Age was not correlated with the smell function in the patients’ group (β = −0.1, p = 0.5) but was correlated significantly with smell in the healthy participants’ group (β = −0.3, p = 0.02). Neuropathy affected 81.2% of the patients’ group. Their QoL and mental health well-being were not affected by smell hypofunction. Conclusion: Smell hypofunction appears to be a clinical manifestation in patients with SS, but it does not seem to be associated with the severity of mucosal dryness or with taste disturbance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Therapy of Smell and Taste Disorders)
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