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Post-traumatic brain injury olfactory dysfunction: factors influencing quality of life

  • Rhinology
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European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate if and how post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) olfactory dysfunction affects the quality of life (QoL).

Methods

In this case–control observational study, 32 adults with post-TBI olfactory dysfunction (cases) were matched with 32 TBI patients with intact olfactory function (controls). All subjects self-rated their olfactory function using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Cases also underwent objective olfactory function assessment with the Sniffin’ Sticks test, which generated a Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification (TDI) score. QoL was assessed with the Questionnaire for Olfactory Disorders (QOD). Factors evaluated included age, gender, smoking, TBI severity and duration, lesion localisation, and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) score.

Results

Cases had a higher mean QOD score than controls at 26.31 ± 14.37 and 9.44 ± 8.30, respectively (F = 16.426, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.224). The effect size was large (d = 1.07) with an odds ratio of 7.02. The features of QoL most affected were perception of smell changes, adapting to smell changes, and fear of hazardous substance exposure. DRS score and severity of olfactory dysfunction significantly affected QoL (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Post-TBI olfactory dysfunction significantly lowered QoL and increased the likelihood of having a low QoL relative to TBI alone.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Charlene Malakun for her assistance with nasal endoscopy assessment.

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Malaya Postgraduate Research Grant, Phase 2015B.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Fatimah Ahmedy & Mazlina Mazlan

  2. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

    Fatimah Ahmedy

  3. Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Mahmoud Danaee

  4. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Mohd Zulkiflee Abu Bakar

Authors
  1. Fatimah Ahmedy
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  2. Mazlina Mazlan
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  4. Mohd Zulkiflee Abu Bakar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mazlina Mazlan.

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Compliance with ethical standard

This work complies with the ethical standards of the institutional and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

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The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical approval

This work has received the ethical approval from Medical Ethics Committee, University of Malaya Medical Centre (20158-1555).

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Ahmedy, F., Mazlan, M., Danaee, M. et al. Post-traumatic brain injury olfactory dysfunction: factors influencing quality of life. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 277, 1343–1351 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-05823-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-05823-0

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