Prevalence and Associated Factors of Olfactory and Gustatory Loss in Patients With Nasal Septal Deviation

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory and gustatory functions of patients with nasal septal deviation (NSD) and identify the factors associated with olfactory loss (OL) and gustatory loss (GL).Design and Setting Retrospective data analysis of cohort group.Participants Two-hundred fourteen adult patients with NSD at a tertiary hospital.Main Outcome Measures Olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed using the psychophysical olfactory and gustatory function tests. The association of various demographic and clinical factors, including age, sex, NSD type, allergic sensitization status, presence of concha bullosa (CB), total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) level, blood eosinophil count, and acoustic rhinometry parameters, with OL and GL was analysed.Results Among the patients, 20.6% (44/214) and 16.4% (35/213) had OL and GL, respectively. Patients with CB showed a significantly lower threshold, discrimination, and identification (TDI) score than those without CB (p = 0.012). Conversely, the TDI score did not differ according to age group, sex, NSD type, or allergic sensitization status. Blood eosinophil count was inversely correlated with the TDI score (p = 0.003), whereas nasal cavity volume, minimal cross-sectional area, and serum IgE level were not correlated with the TDI score. In the multivariable analysis, the presence of CB (p = 0.029, odds ratio [OR] = 2.281) and a blood eosinophil count >= 190 (p = 0.030, OR = 2.155) were identified as significant factors associated with OL. No factors were significantly associated with GL.Conclusion The presence of CB and a high blood eosinophil count are significant predictors of OL in patients with NSD.