Decreased Trigeminal Sensitivity in Anosmia

The present study aimed to investigate intranasal trigeminal sensitivity in a large sample of patients with anosmia due to different etiologies. We investigated the trigeminal detection threshold for formic acid in healthy controls (n = 96) and patients with anosmia due to head trauma (n = 18) or sinonasal disease (n = 54). Anosmics exhibited higher thresholds compared with normosmics (p < 0.001). In addition, thresholds were found to be higher in patients with posttraumatic anosmia compared to anosmics with sinonasal disease (p < 0.001). The data indicate that (1) loss of olfactory sensitivity in humans may be associated with a decreased sensitivity towards trigeminal stimuli and (2) alteration of intranasal trigeminal function is stronger in patients with posttraumatic anosmia compared to patients with sinonasal disease. This may have implications for the medicolegal investigation of anosmic patients where trigeminal stimuli are frequently used to assess the patient’s response bias.Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich

High prevalence of long-term olfactory dysfunction confirmed by olfactory testing after a community COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose!#!The prevalence of long-term olfactory and gustatory dysfunction in participants suffering from sudden chemosensory loss due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. Furthermore, evaluations of the reliability of participants' self-reporting of olfactory function (SOF) and gustatory function (SGF) using extended objective psychophysical testing are missing.!##!Methods!#!In this population-based cohort study in a PCR-tested community in Thuringia, Germany, olfactory function was extensively examined 4 months after a COVID-19 outbreak using the 'Sniffin Sticks' test battery to determine the TDI!##!Results!#!Of 43 adult convalescents (median age: 68 years; 58% female) after SARS-CoV‑2 infection, 18 participants (42%) had olfactory complaints due to SOF, one participant (2%) complained of taste disturbance due to SGF. The TDI!##!Conclusion!#!The SOF was reliable, especially for participants who felt a sudden chemosensory dysfunction during the outbreak. At 4 months after SARS-CoV‑2 infection, a high proportion of participants were dysosmic, whereas nearly all of them had normal taste function