Olfactory Dysfunction: From Molecular Basis to Therapy

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 3859

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: rhinology; T-cell immunology; airway mucosal immunology; allergic airway diseases; immune responses against respiratory viruses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Olfaction plays a crucial role in food selection, nutrition, and the awareness of hazardous materials. Disturbances in olfaction are associated with a poorer quality of life and higher risk of mortality. In addition, as olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), interest in olfactory dysfunction has recently increased. Considering that treatment options for olfactory dysfunction are currently limited, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying olfactory dysfunction is needed to develop novel strategies. Furthermore, more studies are needed to broaden our knowledge of the clinical aspects of olfactory dysfunction.

This Special Issue highlights recent advances in the understanding of olfactory dysfunction. It is mainly focused on not only basic research providing new insights into olfaction and olfactory dysfunction, but also clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic perspectives of olfactory dysfunction. This Special Issue welcomes the submission of research and review articles.

Dr. Min-Seok Rha
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • olfaction
  • smell
  • olfactory dysfunction
  • pathophysiologic mechanism
  • parosmia
  • phantosmia
  • post-viral olfactory dysfunction
  • traumatic olfactory dysfunction
  • olfactory training

Published Papers (4 papers)

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16 pages, 1144 KiB  
Article
The Prognostic Value of Olfactory Dysfunction in Patients with COVID-19: The COVIDORA Study
by Anne-Laure Hamel, Léo Delbos, Pierre-André Natella, Thomas Radulesco, Mihaela Alexandru, Emmanuel Bartaire, Sophie Bartier, Gonda Benoite, Emilie Bequignon, Laurent Castillo, Florence Canouï-Poitrine, Florent Carsuzaa, Alain Corré, André Coste, Vincent Couloigner, Clémentine Daveau, Paul De Boissieu, Guillaume De Bonnecaze, Ludovic De Gabory, Christian Debry, Simon Deraedt, Xavier Dufour, Wissame El Bakkouri, Laurent Gilain, Stéphane Hans, Charlotte Hautefort, Ruben Hermann, Roger Jankowski, Candice La Croix, Jean-Baptiste Lecanu, Olivier Malard, Justin Michel, Yann Nguyen, Jerome Nevoux, Jean-François Papon, Vincent Patron, Marine Prigent, Virginie Pruliere-Escabasse, Marion Renaud, Cécile Rumeau, Dominique Salmon, Nicolas Saroul, Elie Serrano, Christine Nhung Tran Khai, Stéphane Tringali, Eric Truy, Clair Vandersteen, Benjamin Verillaud, Raphaël Veil and Maxime Fieuxadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Life 2024, 14(3), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14030293 - 22 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Background: Among all studies describing COVID-19 clinical features during the first wave of the pandemic, only a few retrospective studies have assessed the correlation between olfac-tory dysfunction (OD) and the evolution of disease severity. The main aim was to assess whether OD is [...] Read more.
Background: Among all studies describing COVID-19 clinical features during the first wave of the pandemic, only a few retrospective studies have assessed the correlation between olfac-tory dysfunction (OD) and the evolution of disease severity. The main aim was to assess whether OD is a predictive factor of COVID-19 severity based on the patient’s medical management (outpa-tient care, standard hospital admission, and ICU admission). Methods: A national, prospective, mul-ticenter cohort study was conducted in 20 public hospitals and a public center for COVID-19 screen-ing. During the first wave of the pandemic, from 6 April to 11 May 2020, all patients tested positive for COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR underwent two follow-up ENT consultations within 10 days of symptom onset. The main outcome measures were the evolution of medical management (out-patient care, standard hospital admission, and ICU admission) at diagnosis and along the clinical course of COVID-19 disease. Results: Among 481 patients included, the prevalence of OD was 60.7%, and it affected mostly female patients (74.3%) under 65 years old (92.5%), with fewer comor-bidities than patients with normal olfactory function. Here, 99.3% (290/292) of patients with OD presented with non-severe COVID-19 disease. Patients reporting OD were significantly less hospi-talized than the ones managed as outpatients, in either a standard medical unit or an ICU. Conclu-sions: As regards the clinical course of COVID-19 disease, OD could predict a decreased risk of hospitalization during the first wave of the pandemic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Olfactory Dysfunction: From Molecular Basis to Therapy)
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10 pages, 1832 KiB  
Communication
Development of a Digital Olfactory Function Test: A Preliminary Study
by Hae Ryong Lee, Kyung Soo Kim and Hyun Jin Min
Life 2024, 14(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14010075 - 02 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Olfactory dysfunction is associated with conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, mental illnesses, and upper-airway-related diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the development of an examiner-independent olfactory function test. We recently developed a digital olfactory function test called Digitalscent (DIGITAL SCENT), [...] Read more.
Olfactory dysfunction is associated with conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, mental illnesses, and upper-airway-related diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the development of an examiner-independent olfactory function test. We recently developed a digital olfactory function test called Digitalscent (DIGITAL SCENT), which is a kiosk-type device with an integrated hardware system. The protocol follows conventional psychophysical olfactory function protocols, including threshold, discrimination, and identification test subsets. Eight healthy participants without olfactory dysfunction volunteered for the suitability test and completed both the YSK olfactory function and Digitalscent tests. Pearson correlations were determined between the YSK olfactory function and Digitalscent tests. Digitalscent could be implemented as a conventional olfactory function test, and all participants followed the Digitalscent test protocols. Limitations in the threshold and identification test subsets included unfamiliarity of the patients to the digital test and incompleteness in the sophisticated release of odorants. A strength of the identification test subset was the dual sensory stimulation of vision and olfaction. Digitalscent could—without facilitating viral transmission—enable early diagnosis of olfactory dysfunction during respiratory viral pandemics. Future studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to facilitate wider use of this digital olfactory function test. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Olfactory Dysfunction: From Molecular Basis to Therapy)
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11 pages, 2360 KiB  
Article
The PEA Bead Test as a Screening Tool for Olfactory Dysfunction: A Preliminary Study
by Kyung Soo Kim, Il-Youp Kwak and Hyun Jin Min
Life 2023, 13(10), 2074; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13102074 - 17 Oct 2023
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Abstract
This study, conducted in a single tertiary hospital, aimed to evaluate the 2-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA)-based sniffing bead test as a screening tool for olfactory dysfunction suitable for implementation in otorhinolaryngology and other settings, including general practice clinics. A total of 139 patients were [...] Read more.
This study, conducted in a single tertiary hospital, aimed to evaluate the 2-phenylethyl alcohol (PEA)-based sniffing bead test as a screening tool for olfactory dysfunction suitable for implementation in otorhinolaryngology and other settings, including general practice clinics. A total of 139 patients were enrolled, all of whom underwent both the PEA bead test and conventional psychophysical olfactory function testing. Characteristics such as age, sex, concurrent diseases, smoking history, and presence of gustatory dysfunction were reviewed. Statistical analyses included receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, area under the curve determination, and multivariate linear regression guided by the Akaike information criterion. Significant correlations were found between the PEA bead test and various subsets of the conventional YSK olfactory function test: threshold (r = 0.631), discrimination (r = 0.455), and identification (r = 0.596), as well as the composite threshold-discrimination-identification score (r = 0.686). These correlations remained significant even when adjusting for other clinical characteristics. The PEA bead test showed a sensitivity of 0.778 and a specificity of 0.958 for discriminating olfactory dysfunction at a cutoff value of ≥1. These findings indicate that the PEA bead test could be a valuable screening tool for olfactory dysfunction across diverse clinical settings. Further large-scale, multicenter research is recommended to confirm these preliminary results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Olfactory Dysfunction: From Molecular Basis to Therapy)
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23 pages, 722 KiB  
Systematic Review
The Value of Subjective Olfactometry as a Predictive Biomarker of Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review
by Laia Ramos-Casademont, Daniel Martin-Jimenez, Brenda Villarreal-Garza, Serafín Sánchez-Gomez and María Amparo Callejon-Leblic
Life 2024, 14(3), 298; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14030298 - 23 Feb 2024
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Abstract
Background: Olfactory disorders (ODs) are reported to be an early non-motor sign before the onset of deterioration in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This systematic revision aims to review the current literature and the value of subjective olfactometry (SO) in [...] Read more.
Background: Olfactory disorders (ODs) are reported to be an early non-motor sign before the onset of deterioration in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This systematic revision aims to review the current literature and the value of subjective olfactometry (SO) in the early diagnosis of cognitive decline and NDs. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA framework. Four different authors reviewed six different databases. The main variables analyzed were olfactory function and cognitive status. The quality of results was evaluated using the Oxford Centre of Evidence-based Medicine Levels. Results: Twenty-one cross-sectional and cohort studies and six meta-analyses were included. Most of them found an association between ODs and NDs. A prevalence of ODs greater than 80% was shown in Parkinson’s disease, proportional to the severity of symptoms. In Alzheimer’s, ODs were associated with early diagnosis and prognosis. All SO tests employed in the literature showed enough predictive value to correlate with early stages of cognitive decline. Conclusions: SO should be considered a pivotal tool when diagnosing NDs due to their association with early symptoms and prognosis. However, in the current literature, no firm consensus exists on the optimal SO tests and protocols that should be applied to the study of NDs, which prevents the interpretability and comparability of results among studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Olfactory Dysfunction: From Molecular Basis to Therapy)
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