tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec
. 2024 Apr 15.
doi: 10.1159/000537835. Online ahead of print.
A study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aetiology of paediatric olfactory dysfunction
Matthias Deller, Valentin A Schriever, Thomas Hummel
Introduction Although previous studies have examined olfactory dysfunction in children, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has certainly had an unprecedented effect on their olfaction, which could not be taken into consideration. Aim of this report is to present data on the epidemiology of olfactory dysfunction during the pandemic and compare this dataset with a pre-pandemic set. We hypothesized an increase in URTI-related olfactory dysfunction. Methods Data of paediatric patients consulting a smell and taste clinic between March 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Frequency of major causes of olfactory dysfunction was examined and compared with three subsets of an older data set. Results A total of 52 patients were included in the analysis. Most children presented with olfactory dysfunction due to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (52%). Congenital olfactory dysfunction was present in 34% of cases. Sinonasal disorders and idiopathic cases accounted for 6 and 4%, respectively, whereas head-trauma was the least common cause (2%). This was in contrast with the results of the older set. The frequency URTI-related olfactory dysfunction increased significantly. The frequency of head-trauma-related or congenital olfactory dysfunction showed marked reductions. There were no significant differences regarding the other aetiologies between our patient cohort and the three subsets. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in differences regarding the prevalence of aetiologies between our dataset and the subsets of pre-pandemic times. The surge of the frequency of URTI-related olfactory dysfunction may be ascribed to a novel pathomechanism involving sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium.
. 2024 Apr 15.
doi: 10.1159/000537835. Online ahead of print.
A study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aetiology of paediatric olfactory dysfunction
Matthias Deller, Valentin A Schriever, Thomas Hummel
- PMID: 38621374
- DOI: 10.1159/000537835
Introduction Although previous studies have examined olfactory dysfunction in children, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has certainly had an unprecedented effect on their olfaction, which could not be taken into consideration. Aim of this report is to present data on the epidemiology of olfactory dysfunction during the pandemic and compare this dataset with a pre-pandemic set. We hypothesized an increase in URTI-related olfactory dysfunction. Methods Data of paediatric patients consulting a smell and taste clinic between March 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Frequency of major causes of olfactory dysfunction was examined and compared with three subsets of an older data set. Results A total of 52 patients were included in the analysis. Most children presented with olfactory dysfunction due to upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (52%). Congenital olfactory dysfunction was present in 34% of cases. Sinonasal disorders and idiopathic cases accounted for 6 and 4%, respectively, whereas head-trauma was the least common cause (2%). This was in contrast with the results of the older set. The frequency URTI-related olfactory dysfunction increased significantly. The frequency of head-trauma-related or congenital olfactory dysfunction showed marked reductions. There were no significant differences regarding the other aetiologies between our patient cohort and the three subsets. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in differences regarding the prevalence of aetiologies between our dataset and the subsets of pre-pandemic times. The surge of the frequency of URTI-related olfactory dysfunction may be ascribed to a novel pathomechanism involving sustentacular cells in the olfactory epithelium.