Olfactory Training and Visual Stimulation Assisted by a Web Application for Patients With Persistent Olfactory...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otolaryngology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Persistent olfactory dysfunction is a common and significant complication following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
• Olfactory training using aromatic oils is recommended for olfactory recovery, but quantitative evidence is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the benefits of olfactory training combined with visual stimulation using a web application for patients with olfactory dysfunction lasting at least one month.
• To assess the impact of training duration on olfactory recovery.

Main Methods:

• An observational, real-world study included 548 patients with olfactory dysfunction for ≥1 month.
• Participants engaged in twice-daily olfactory training with 4 aromatic oils and visual stimulation via a web app for approximately 4 weeks.
• Improvement was defined as a 2-point increase on a 10-point olfactory visual analogue scale.

Main Results:

• Mean olfactory scores improved from 1.9 to 4.6 after a mean of 27.7 days of training.
• 64.2% of patients achieved at least a 2-point improvement.
• Training for >28 days (73.3%) showed significantly higher improvement rates than training for <28 days (59%).
• Patients with hyposmia recovered 8 days faster than those with anosmia, irrespective of dysfunction duration.

Conclusions:

• Olfactory training and visual stimulation via a web application significantly improve olfaction in patients with persistent olfactory dysfunction.
• Training duration exceeding 28 days is associated with greater olfactory improvement.
• This combined approach offers a quantifiable benefit for post-viral olfactory loss.