Abstract:ObjectiveThis study was to explore the effects of olfactory training via complex perfume patterns on patients with olfactory dysfunction due to head trauma or upper respiratory tract infection.MethodsFrom December 2016 to March 2018, 36 patients with olfactory dysfunction due to head trauma or upper respiratory tract infection were treated in First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, including 12 males and 24 females, aged from 20 to 80 years, with an average age of 47.61± 16.68 years old; course of 3 months to 60 months, the mean course of 13.58 ± 13.51 months. The patients were divided into “upper respiratory tract infection group” (19 cases) and “trauma group” (17 cases) according to the etiology, and “olfactory decline group” (18 cases) and “olfactory loss group” (18 cases) according to the degree of olfactory decline. Four kinds of perfumes with obviously different flavors purchased by the patients themselves were used for olfactory training. Comprehensive olfactory VAS scores were evaluated before and after olfactory training, which was performed for all the patients. Olfactory comprehensive VAS score was performed before and after treatment, and olfactory score was performed for aroma and odor respectively. Fisher exact probability method was used for statistical analysis (P=0.05).ResultsThirtysix patients completed the whole regimen. The total effective rate was 55.56% (20/36) and the cure rate was 13.89% (5/36). The effective rate of the olfactory loss group was 33.33% (6/18); The effective rate of the olfactory decline group was 77.78% (14/18), and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05). The effective rate of the olfactory dysfunction group duo to upper respiratory tract infection was 73.68% (14/19);the effective rate of the olfactory dysfunction group due to head trauma was 35.29% (6/17), and the difference was statistically significant between them(P< 0.05). Among the patients with effective treatment, 50.00% (10/20) was significantly superior to the recovery of odor perception, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).ConclusionsThe therapeutic regime of the olfactory training adopted in this study is characterized by the simple and convenient operation, high flexibility, low cost on patients, and high compliance of patients. Certain therapeutic effects were observed for patients with residual smell and patients with upper respiratory tract infection induced olfactory dysfunctions. Scent is commonly used as an odorant in olfactory training. However, odor has an important warning effect and it deserves more attention that the odor recovery lags significantly behind the scent.
