Abstract
Introduction
The sense of smell is dependent on environmental conditions. In this study, we analysed the effect of temperature and humidity on the ability to smell.
Methods
Using the controlled setting of a hypobaric climate chamber 50 healthy participants (40 men, 10 women; mean age of 33 years) completed repeated testing in 4 different settings—cold/dry, cold/humid, warm/dry, warm/humid. The temperatures were 20–35 °C, respectively, and the humidity was set at 30–75%. Testing was performed using the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test battery (odour threshold, discrimination and identification) in a semi-randomised order and in controlled atmospheric pressure conditions.
Results
The analysis showed that neither temperature nor humidity had a significant effect on olfactory test results. This indicates that olfactory functions in healthy, young subjects with an excellent sense of smell are not strongly affected by temporary changes in environmental conditions.
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Acknowledgements
The German Air Force Center of Aerospace Medicine allowed the use of the hypobaric climate chamber. We would like to thank all employees in Königsbrück that participated in and supported the study particularly the technical support.
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The study was carried out in accordance with the Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (1964 Declaration of Helsinki and later amendments) The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the Medical Faculty of the TU Dresden (ethics approval number EK 113042018). The study design was presented to the volunteers in written form and written informed consent was obtained from each individual participant.
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Drews, T., Nehring, M., Werner, A. et al. The sense of smell is not strongly affected by ambient temperature and humidity: a prospective study in a controlled environment. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 278, 1465–1469 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06436-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06436-3