ReviewBMJ medicine2023
Post-viral olfactory loss and parosmia.
Review in BMJ medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of olfactory-visual combined training on post-viral olfactory dysfunction: a randomized controlled trial.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Trial
- Persistent COVID-19 parosmia and olfactory loss post olfactory training: randomized clinical trial comparing central and peripheral-acting therapeutics.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024Trial
- Functional olfactory impairment and fatigue in post-COVID-19 syndrome including ME/CFS - a longitudinal prospective observational study.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Viral destruction of the olfactory mucosa elicits immune residence, bone metaplasia, and long-term smell loss.Mucosal immunology · 2025Article
- Review
- Trajectories of Coping With Persistent Smell and Taste Dysfunction After a Covid-19 Infection-A Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of advanced nursing · 2025Article
- Viral Etiologies and Histopathological Features of Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review.Health science reports · 2025Review
- Article
- Postviral olfactory dysfunction.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025Article
- The Effects of Circadian Rhythm on Lead-Induced Toxicity in the DBC1.2 Olfactory Dark Basal Cell Line.Cells · 2025Article
- Scent of COVID-19: Whole-Genome Sequencing Analysis Reveals the Role ofLife (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Long-term olfactory loss post-COVID-19: Pathobiology and potential therapeutic strategies.World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery · 2024Review
- Type 2 and Non-type 2 Inflammation in the Upper Airways: Cellular and Molecular Alterations in Olfactory Neuroepithelium Cell Populations.Current allergy and asthma reports · 2024Review
- SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses in Human Olfactory Pathophysiology.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- Structures and functions of the normal and injured human olfactory epithelium.Frontiers in neural circuits · 2024Review
- Parosmia Is Positively Associated With Problematic Drinking, as Is Phantosmia With Depressive Symptoms.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has brought olfactory dysfunction to the forefront of public awareness, because up to half of infected individuals could develop olfactory dysfunction. Loss of smell-which can be partial or total-in itself is debilitating, but the distortion of sense of smell (parosmia) that can occur as a consequence of a viral upper respiratory tract infection (either alongside a reduction in sense of smell or as a solo symptom) can be very distressing for patients. Incidence of olfactory loss after SARS-CoV-2 infection has been estimated by meta-analysis to be around 50%, with more than one in three who will subsequently report parosmia. While early loss of sense of smell is thought to be due to infection of the supporting cells of the olfactory epithelium, the underlying mechanisms of persistant loss and parosmia remain less clear. Depletion of olfactory sensory neurones, chronic inflammatory infiltrates, and downregulation of receptor expression are thought to contribute. There are few effective therapeutic options, so support and olfactory training are essential. Further research is required before strong recommendations can be made to support treatment with steroids, supplements, or interventions applied topically or injected into the olfactory epithelium in terms of improving recovery of quantitative olfactory function. It is not yet known whether these treatments will also achieve comparable improvements in parosmia. This article aims to contextualise parosmia in the setting of post-viral olfactory dysfunction, explore some of the putative molecular mechanisms, and review some of the treatment options available.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.