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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1457527

The Effectiveness of Olfactory Training for Chronic Olfactory Disorder Following COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Provisionally accepted
Natalia Treder-Rochna Natalia Treder-Rochna *Michał Harciarek Michał Harciarek Aleksandra Mańkowska Aleksandra Mańkowska Wiktoria Kujawa Wiktoria Kujawa
  • University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Chronic olfactory disorders are some of the most frequent post-COVID-19 presentations. Olfactory training (OT) is currently the most popular method used for treating post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD). We evaluated the effect of olfactory training on the chronic olfactory disorders of patients infected with COVID-19.Methodology: A systematic literature search was performed as per PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and the Cochrane Library. Only patients with chronic olfactory disorders of 30 days or more were included. The primary outcome was the olfactory score at the end of follow-up.Results: Fourteen studies (1596 participants) were included in this review. Among the included studies, up to 10 were RCTs. Nine studies assessed the combined effects of adjuvant therapy and olfactory training, while five studies assessed only OT.In our assessment, olfactory training alone produces significant improvements in chronic olfactory dysfunctions. However, a combined therapy approach is essential to achieve more effective outcomes. Integrating olfactory training with adjuvants like CoUltraPEALut, Cerebrolysin, and oral Vitamin A has demonstrated substantial benefits in enhancing post-COVID-19 olfactory function. Strict adherence to the OT protocol and extending the duration of OT to three months or more significantly enhance treatment outcomes.

    Keywords: Chronic Olfactory Disorder, COVID-19, Olfactory training, Smell, adjuvants

    Received: 30 Jun 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Treder-Rochna, Harciarek, Mańkowska and Kujawa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Natalia Treder-Rochna, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.