Impact of pediatric connective tissue diseases on olfactory and gustatory functions

The aim of this study is to evaluate olfactory and gustatory functions in individuals with pediatric connective tissue diseases, to investigate possible associations between these sensory changes and the clinical features of the disease, and to contribute to the existing knowledge gap in this field.

The study included 25 pediatric patients diagnosed with connective tissue disease from the Pediatric Rheumatology unit and 25 healthy controls matched for age. Olfactory functions were assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks and Sniffin' Kids tests, while gustatory functions were evaluated using the ODOFIN Taste Test.

The study comprised 42 participants, including 25 healthy controls and 17 patients. Odour identification (median-IQR:11-3), total olfactory score (median-IQR:31,5-6,13), and Sniffin' Kids scores (median-IQR:10-1,5) were significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group (p = 0.015; p = 0.024; p = 0.038, respectively). Although not significant (p = 0.058), gustatory function scores (median-IQR:10-3,5) were lower in the study group than in the control group.

The study suggests that pediatric connective tissue diseases are associated with significantly reduced olfactory function, whereas gustatory function showed a trend toward lower scores that did not reach statistical significance. A significant reduction was particularly noted in odour identification and total olfactory scores. These findings highlight the need for a multidisciplinary approach in the evaluation of such diseases.