Researchers at Western University in London, Ont., are conducting a study on a largely overlooked issue that significantly affects one’s quality of life: parosmia.
Parosmia is a disorder characterized by the distorted perception of smells. Scents that were once pleasurable, such as coffee, chocolate, or perfume, become repulsive to individuals with parosmia. In a survey led by researchers at Western University, over half of the participants reported experiencing depression as a result of parosmia.
Olfactory dysfunction, or issues with smell, is common during and after COVID-19 infection, affecting between one-third and two-thirds of symptomatic patients according to previous studies. Within this group, it is estimated that 8 to 32 percent of individuals experience parosmia, specifically the distortion of smell.
Despite its prevalence, there is a scarcity of literature on parosmia, and the development of the disorder remains unclear.
Out of the survey participants, only 3 percent reported full recovery from post-COVID-19 parosmia, with an average recovery time of over 14 months.
While smell training was the most commonly used treatment (74 percent), the survey indicated that stellate ganglion block (SGB) was the most effective treatment. Only 16 percent of respondents underwent SGB, but 45 percent of them reported improvement, compared to only 10 percent with smell training.
SGB involves injecting a local anesthetic into a group of nerves in the neck. According to lead author Dr. Leigh Sowerby, “The stellate ganglion controls sympathetic signals to the head, neck, arms, and part of the chest. Temporarily blocking these signals through an anesthetic injection could alleviate the distorted sense of smell in patients as it appears that part of the problem is in how the brain is perceiving the signal.”
“Of all the strategies patients have tried, from smell training to nasal corticosteroid sprays, SGB appears to be the most effective in treating post-COVID parosmia,” added Sowerby.
The study, published in The Journal of Laryngology & Otology, is expected to bring more awareness to parosmia and potentially lead to a clinical trial.
Sowerby stated, “The team at St. Joseph’s Hospital is exploring the possibility of a clinical trial to evaluate Stellate ganglion blocks to treat parosmia,” although the exact start date of the trial remains uncertain.
“Anyone suffering from this problem and interested in potential treatment is welcome to contact the team at [email protected].”
The survey, conducted between September and October 2022, collected 209 usable responses from adults. The majority (86 percent) were women, but it is unclear if parosmia occurs more frequently in women or if women were simply more likely to be part of the AbScent research group or the Facebook anosmia/parosmia group where the survey was shared. The respondents mainly came from the United States (82 percent), with 8 percent from the U.K., 3 percent from Canada, and the rest from 11 other countries.
Half of the respondents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but 80 percent were unvaccinated at the time of their COVID-19 infection.
The study stated, “Vaccinated respondents developed parosmia 88 days after infection, while unvaccinated respondents developed parosmia 124 days after infection.”
Typically, participants experienced a loss of taste and smell about three days after their first COVID-19 symptoms, which recovered about four weeks later. Then, 12 weeks after infection, they developed parosmia.
More than half of the respondents reported experiencing depression and weight loss due to parosmia. Although uncommon, 2.5 percent reported having suicidal thoughts.
The top 10 triggers for parosmia include onion, garlic, meat, coffee, chicken, eggs, peanut butter, chocolate, fried foods, and perfume.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
