Quality of life in patients with smell loss due to upper respiratory tract infections.

Purpose: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are among the most frequent causes of dysosmias. It has been reported that acute anosmic patients often experience a feeling of personal isolation, display less interest in eating, and feel emotionally impaired. Our goal is to describe the quality of life (QOL) in patients with URTI olfactory loss.

Material And Methods: A retrospective and descriptive patient-based study was performed. From 2002 to 2007, 51 patients with URTI olfactory loss (40 women [78.4%] and 11 men [21.6%]) were studied. The mean age was 53.3 ± 1.8 years. Olfactory function was assessed using the Connecticut Chemosensorial Clinical Research Center test. All patients completed the QOL questionnaire Rhinosinusitis Disability Index. The following were determined: total score; visual analogue scale from 1 to 10; and functional, emotional, and physical domains. Descriptive analysis and Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test were used.

Results: Rhinosinusitis Disability Index data showed that questions f2, f4, p8, and p20 reached the highest score. The patients' mean overall rating of the severity of olfactory impairment was 3.9 ± 2.8, which fell into the moderate category.

Conclusions: The patients' mean overall rating of the severity of olfactory impairment fell into the moderate category. The follow-up time span is important to assess the QOL of patients.