[Characteristics of postviral olfactory disorder].

Objective

To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection.

Methods

Through clinical specialist examination and imaging examination, 95 cases of patients with olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection were confirmed, 58 cases in anosmia group and 37 cases in hyposmia group. All were performed by a subjective olfactometry (Sniffin'Sticks test) and a subjective taste function tests. The results were statistically analyzed by SPSS 17.0 software.

Results

In 58 cases of anosmia group, 21 cases of male, 37 cases of female; Twenty-six cases of youth, 23 cases of middle age, 9 cases of old age; Twenty-seven cases occurs in spring, 11 cases in summer, 12 in autumn and 8 in winter. Among 37 cases of hyposmia group, 12 cases of male, 25 cases of female; Eighteen cases of youth, 16 cases of middle age, 3 cases of old age; Fourteen cases occurs in spring, 8 cases in summer, 7 in autumn and 8 in winter. There was no statistically significant difference in gender, age and the onset season between the two groups(χ2=0.142, P>0.05; χ2=1.124, P>0.05; χ2=1.335, P>0.05). In anosmia group, with 4 cases of ageusia, 22 cases of hypogeusia, 32 cases of normal taste; in hyposmia group, with 0 cases of ageusia, 10 cases of hypogeusia, 27 cases of normal taste. There were significant differences between the two groups with different types of taste disorder(Pearson correlation coefficient r=0.210, P<0.05), it was positive correlation.

Conclusions

It is suggested that after the upper respiratory tract infection, the olfactory dysfunction is often accompanied by the sense of taste dysfunction, the more severe the damage of olfactory function, the degree of damage to the taste function is also increased. Olfactory impairment degree exhibited no relationship with gender, age or onset seasons.