Neuromodulators do not appear effective for post-viral parosmia.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otolaryngology
• Infectious Disease

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted post-viral smell distortion, known as parosmia, a qualitative dysfunction impacting odor perception.
• Parosmia involves distorted smell perception, often co-occurring with quantitative olfactory loss, severely affecting patients' quality of life.
• While treatments exist for quantitative smell loss, effective interventions for qualitative olfactory disorders remain unproven.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current landscape of treatments for olfactory dysfunction.
• To specifically address the lack of high-level evidence for treating qualitative olfactory disorders like parosmia.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies on olfactory dysfunction treatments.
• Analysis of evidence supporting interventions for both quantitative and qualitative smell disorders.

Main Results:

• Olfactory training, steroid nasal irrigations, and platelet-rich plasma injections show promise for quantitative smell loss.
• No high-level evidence currently supports effective treatments specifically for qualitative olfactory disorders such as parosmia.

Conclusions:

• Effective treatments for quantitative smell loss are established, but qualitative olfactory disorders like parosmia remain challenging.
• Further research is needed to develop and validate treatments for parosmia and other qualitative smell dysfunctions.