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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
A Free-breathing fMRI Method to Study Human Olfactory Function
Published on: July 30, 2017
Distorted odorant perception: analysis of a series of 56 patients with parosmia
Pierre Bonfils1, Paul Avan, Patrick Faulcon
1ORL Research Laboratory and Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UPRESSA 7060, F-75105 Paris, France. pierre.bonfils@egp.ap-hop-paris.fr
Objective:
To characterize the self-reported olfactory and gustatory symptoms, olfactory function, and causes in parosmia.
Design:
Assessment of olfactory symptoms and function in patients with a chief complaint of parosmia.
Setting:
A university hospital clinic and research facility.
Patients:
Fifty-six consecutive patients presented to the ORL Clinic, European Hospital Georges Pompidou, with a chief complaint of parosmia between October 2001 and November 2003.
Main Outcome Measures:
Subjective olfactory symptom analysis and olfactory function test results.
Results:
The mean duration of parosmia was 63.0 months. Forty patients (71.4%) reported associated hyposmia and 16 (28.6%) reported anosmia. Olfactory testing revealed moderate to severe olfactory loss in all patients. Quantitative and qualitative alterations occurred simultaneously in 32 patients (57.1%); parosmia onset occurred within 3 months after quantitative dysosmia in 19 patients (33.9%) and after 3 months in 5 patients (8.9%). The sensation of parosmia was always unpleasant. The main odorant triggers eliciting parosmia are described. The mean severity of flavor dysfunction of the population, evaluated using a 10-cm visual analog scale, was 6.4. Thirty-one patients (55.4%) viewed their olfactory alteration as severely affecting their quality of life. The main clinical association of parosmia was upper respiratory tract infection, found in 42.8% of the patients. Others clinical associations are described.
Conclusion:
The series of patients with parosmia presented herein, the largest in the literature, permits a clinical description of this rare olfactory abnormality.
