Assessment of the impact of post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction on quality of life: Comparison of specific...

Post-COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction persists in many patients and significantly affects quality of life. The primary objective was to evaluate olfactory function using psychophysical tests (BAST-24) and quality-of-life questionnaires. Secondary objectives included analysing correlations between questionnaires and the relationship between subjective and psychophysical measures.

A prospective study was conducted including 86 adults with olfactory dysfunction ≥ 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical and demographic data and scores from the Visual Analog Scale for smell (VAS-smell) and the SNOT-22, svQOD-NS, and QVOLF questionnaires were collected. Olfactory function was assessed using the BAST-24 (detection, identification, and olfactory memory). Descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used (p<0.05).

Mean age was 49 years (SD=14); 76.7% were women. According to the VAS, 90.7% had hyposmia and 8.1% anosmia. Mean scores (SD) were: VAS 6 (2), SNOT-22 26 (20), svQOD-NS 4 (4), and QVOLF 127 (50), suggesting a moderate impact on quality of life. BAST-24 scores: detection 91% (22), identification 52% (25), and memory 35% (20). QVOLF and svQOD-NS showed a strong correlation (ρ=0.797; p<0.001), while SNOT-22 correlated moderately with both. No significant correlations were found between any questionnaire and BAST-24.

QVOLF and svQOD-NS questionnaires are more sensitive than SNOT-22 for assessing olfactory dysfunction. The lack of correlation with psychophysical tests highlights the need to combine both approaches fora comprehensive evaluation.