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CC BY 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2025; 29(03): s00451802575
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802575
Original Research

Olfactory Training and Oral Corticosteroid Therapy for Persistent Postinfectious Hyposmia[*]

Authors

  • Maria Victoria Bastos Tavares 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Gabriel de Souza Mares 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Maria Fernanda Danieluk 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Maria Dantas Costa Lima Godoy 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Renata Chade Aidar Balasso 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

  • Davi Ferreira Soares 

    2   Department of Computer Science, CEDS, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil

  • Fábio Akira Suzuki 

    1   Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Surgery Service, Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Funding The authors declare that they did not receive funding from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors to conduct the present study.
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Abstract

Introduction

Postinfectious hyposmia gained special attention in the postpandemic era, and persistent cases are particularly difficult to treat. Many unproven therapies are used in clinical practice, including corticosteroids, with insufficient evidence.

Objective

To establish the effectiveness of systemic corticosteroid therapy, associated with olfactory training, for persistent postinfectious hyposmia.

Methods

Patients with persistent postinfectious hyposmia were divided, based on comorbidities, into control group (submitted to olfactory training alone) and test group (associated 7-day course of prednisone 40 mg). Olfactory evaluations were performed (visual analogue scale, Alcohol Sniff Test, and Connecticut Olfactory Test), at baseline, and at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference between the test (n = 10) and control (n = 7) groups (p > 0.05) for primary outcomes (visual analogue scale, Alcohol Sniff Test, and Connecticut Olfactory Test), although there was statistically significant improvement of Alcohol Sniff Test scores in both groups at 6 months (p > 0.05). The study's statistical power was reduced due to the small sample size. Even without randomization, the groups were not comparable only in terms of age (p > 0.05). Although no statistically significant association was found, there was a clear tendency for improvement in the overall olfactory function, which may be spontaneous or due to olfactory training. No side effects were reported.

Conclusion

There was no statistically significant benefit of systemic corticosteroid therapy for patients with persistent postinfectious hyposmia (p > 0.05). Treatment with systemic corticosteroids should be individualized, and there is no consensus in the literature.

Keywords

olfaction disorders - olfactory training - glucocorticoids

* Study presented at the 53rd Brazilian National Congress of Otorhinolaryngology, December 1st, 2023.


Supplementary Material



Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 12. Juni 2024

Angenommen: 17. November 2024

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
19. September 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Maria Victoria Bastos Tavares, Gabriel de Souza Mares, Maria Fernanda Danieluk, Maria Dantas Costa Lima Godoy, Renata Chade Aidar Balasso, Davi Ferreira Soares, Fábio Akira Suzuki. Olfactory Training and Oral Corticosteroid Therapy for Persistent Postinfectious Hyposmia[*] . Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2025; 29: s00451802575.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802575