CF is a multisystem disease that involves the upper airways with CRS causing nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, mouth breathing, facial pain, and olfactory dysfunction. Twelve percent to seventy-one percent of CF patients report smelling alterations with an impact on nutrition and quality of life. The researchers did this research to study olfaction performance in CF patients with CRS that worsens life quality.
Researchers enrolled a total of one hundred and twenty-one subjects in this study. Seventy-one had CF and underwent ear, nose, and throat evaluation with nasal endoscopy, SNOT-22, VAS, and “Sniffin’ Sticks.” Fifty subjects were age-matched with healthy controls.
Among the CF patients, 55 of 71 declared to be normosmic, while the smelling ability assessed by “Sniffin’ Sticks” showed that only 4 of 71were normosmic, 58 were hyposmic, and nine were anosmic. Forty-one were normosmic in the controls, nine were hyposmic, and the analysis reported none of the participants were anosmic.
The study provided evidence that most CF patients have a relevant olfactory impairment, although only a low percentage declares such alteration. A careful evaluation with rapid and straightforward tests helps select the patients who may benefit from specific therapies.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892419870450
