Introduction

Patients with olfactory dysfunction report deterioration of taste due to loss of flavor, leading to less food enjoyment, alterations in dietary behaviors and stress. The aim of this study was to introduce flavor enhancement to investigate its acceptance and possible effects on quality of life.

Methods

In this prospective, controlled, randomized, single-blinded, cross-over pilot study, we recruited 30 olfactory dysfunction patients, of which 16 were hyposmic and 14 anosmic. After single-blinded triangle flavor discrimination test, flavor drops were randomized either in high or low concentration for 14 days and vice versa for another 14 days. Records included a daily diary and the questionnaire of olfactory disorders.

Results

Usage rates were excellent with 82.2% of all days, while drops were mainly used for breakfast (44.6%, p < 0.05). Hyposmics used flavor enhancement on significantly more days (median = 14) compared to anosmics (median = 11, p = 0.0094). QOD improved in 12 patients to a meaningful extent.

Conclusions

In this pilot study, we show that flavor enhancement is feasible accompanied by high compliance and acceptance in olfactory dysfunction patients. Flavor drops were used regardless of low or high concentrations with no adverse events noted.

Implications

Our findings give rise to further studies illuminating the possible advantages of flavor enhancement in patients with olfactory disorders.

中文翻译：

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嗅觉障碍患者日常生活中的增味

介绍

嗅觉功能障碍患者报告由于失去风味而导致味觉变差，导致食物享受减少、饮食行为改变和压力。本研究的目的是引入风味增强，以调查其接受度和对生活质量的可能影响。

方法

在这项前瞻性、对照、随机、单盲、交叉试点研究中，我们招募了 30 名嗅觉障碍患者，其中 16 名嗅觉减退，14 名嗅觉障碍。在单盲三角形风味辨别测试后，风味滴剂在高浓度或低浓度下随机分配 14 天，反之亦然，持续 14 天。记录包括每日日记和嗅觉障碍问卷。

结果

使用率非常好，占所有天数的 82.2%，而滴剂主要用于早餐（44.6%，p  < 0.05）。与厌食症（中位数 = 11，p  = 0.0094）相比，减味药在更多天数（中位数 = 14）中使用风味增强。12 名患者的 QOD 改善了有意义的程度。

结论

在这项初步研究中，我们表明，在嗅觉功能障碍患者中，伴随着高依从性和接受度，风味增强是可行的。无论是低浓度还是高浓度，都使用了调味滴剂，没有注意到不良事件。

影响

我们的发现引发了进一步的研究，阐明了嗅觉障碍患者风味增强的可能优势。