Impaired eating-related quality of life in chronic rhinosinusitis

The Burden of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease: Interplay Between Quality of Life and Economic Implications

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-exacerbated respiratory disease (NSAID-ERD) presents a significant challenge in clinical management owing to recalcitrant disease with accompanying profound impacts on patient quality of life. Although asthma represents a significant component of this disease, quality of life disruptions are driven primarily by recalcitrant sinonasal problems, olfactory dysfunction, and the associated psychosocial and dietary implications. This review delves into specific quality of life metrics used to assess NSAID-ERD and the associated health care burden and financial implications of this disease, offering insights into the comparative challenges in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps when available. The article reviews the associated costs and cost-effectiveness of NSAID-ERD-directed therapies, including endoscopic sinus surgery, aspirin desensitization, and biologic therapy. Although some of these emerging treatment approaches show promise, they also present numerous unanswered questions, reflecting the dynamic nature of this field. As the landscape of NSAID-ERD management continues to evolve, this review provides insights into the challenges faced by clinicians and underscores the need for further research to optimize patient care and quality of life outcomes.

Evaluation of Gustatory Function in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the mucosa of the nasal cavity and nasal sinuses. Many patients with CRS complain of gustatory dysfunction which affects their quality of life. To assess the gustatory function and acuity in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis using taste strips. This is a case control study carried out at our institute from May 2021 to June 2022 on 63 Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis and 63 normal controls. All patients of the study and control group will be subjected to full medical history taking including SNOT-22-Questionnaire, sinuscopic examination, computed tomography scan nose and paranasal sinuses using Lund-Mackay score. Taste strips representing five tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami) were used to assess gustatory function in CRS patients and controls. 63 patients with CRS and 63 healthy controls were involved in our study, age 42.05 ± 14 years old for cases and 40.9 ± 13.6 years old for controls. There was a highly significant difference between cases and controls as regard SNOT-22-Questionnaire scores and Meltzer-scores with higher mean scores among cases. There was a highly significant difference between cases and controls as regard Sweet, Salt Sour, Bitter, Umami and Total Taste score, with lower mean scores among cases. This is most evident in bitter taste. There was a significant negative Correlation between each of SNOT-22-Questionnaire score, Meltzer-score and Lund-Mackay score and total taste score. Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis exhibited decreased gustatory function compared to healthy controls. The effect was most pronounced for bitter taste.

The Impact of Ambient and Wildfire Air Pollution on Rhinosinusitis and Olfactory Dysfunction

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

With increasing industrialization, exposure to ambient and wildfire air pollution is projected to increase, necessitating further research to elucidate the complex relationship between exposure and sinonasal disease. This review aims to summarize the role of ambient and wildfire air pollution in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and olfactory dysfunction and provide a perspective on gaps in the literature.

RECENT FINDINGS

Based on an emerging body of evidence, exposure to ambient air pollutants is correlated with the development of chronic rhinosinusitis in healthy individuals and increased symptom severity in CRS patients. Studies have also found a robust relationship between long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and olfactory dysfunction. Ambient air pollution exposure is increasingly recognized to impact the development and sequelae of sinonasal pathophysiology. Given the rising number of wildfire events and worsening impacts of climate change, further study of the impact of wildfire-related air pollution is a crucial emerging field.

Exploring Olfactory Dysfunction as a Marker of Frailty and Postoperative Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer

Importance

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is increasingly recognized as a robust marker of frailty and mortality. Despite broad recognition of frailty as a critical component of head and neck cancer (HNC) care, there is no standardized frailty assessment.

Objective

To assess the prevalence of OD and its association with frailty and postoperative outcomes in HNC.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this prospective cohort study with enrollment between February 17, 2021, to September 29, 2021, at a tertiary academic medical center, 85 eligible adult patients with primary, treatment-naive HNC of mucosal or cutaneous origin were included. Patients with a history of COVID-19, neurocognitive, or primary smell/taste disorders were excluded.

Exposures

Prospective olfactory assessments (self-reported, visual analog scale [VAS] and psychophysical, University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test [UPSIT]) with concurrent frailty assessment (Risk Analysis Index [RAI]) were used. Olfactory-specific quality of life (QOL) was examined with brief Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders-Negative Statements (QOD-NS).

Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)

The primary outcome was the prevalence of OD as assessed by VAS (0-10, no to normal smell) and UPSIT (0-40, higher scores reflect better olfaction) and its association with frailty (RAI, 0-81, higher scores indicate greater frailty). For surgical patients, secondary outcomes were associations between OD and postoperative length of stay (LOS), 30-day postoperative outcomes, and QOD-NS (0-21, higher scores indicate worse QOL).

Results

Among 51 patients with HNC (mean [SD] age, 63 [10] years; 39 [77%] male participants; 41 [80%] White participants), 24 (47%) were frail, and 4 (8%) were very frail. Despite median (IQR) self-reported olfaction by VAS of 9 (8-10), 30 (59%) patients demonstrated measured OD with psychophysical testing. No meaningful association was found between self-reported and psychophysical testing (Hodges-Lehmann, <0.001; 95% CI, -2 to 1); a total of 46 (90%) patients did not report decreased olfaction-specific QOL. Median UPSIT scores were lower in frail patients (Hodges-Lehmann, 6; 95% CI, 2-12). Multivariate modeling demonstrated severe microsmia/anosmia was associated with 1.75 (95% CI, 1.09-2.80) times odds of being frail/very frail and approximately 3 days increased LOS (β, 2.96; 95% CI, 0.29-5.62).

Conclusions and Relevance

Although patients with HNC are unaware of olfactory changes, OD is common and may serve as a bellwether of frailty. In this prospective cohort study, a dose-dependent association was demonstrated between increasing degrees of OD and frailty, and the potential utility of olfaction was highlighted as a touchstone in the assessment of HNC frailty.

Beyond aroma: A scoping review on the impact of chronic rhinosinusitis on retronasal olfaction

Background

Retronasal olfaction (RNO) refers to the perception of odorants inhaled through the mouth and carried through the nasopharynx to olfactory receptors within the olfactory cleft, enabling the perception of flavor. Although orthonasal olfactory dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been widely described, the impact of CRS on RNO is less clear. In this study, we systematically review available literature to provide an update on RNO in the setting of CRS.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies examining RNO in patients with documented CRS. The primary outcome of interest was objective psychophysical measurement of olfaction, including characterization of RNO.

Results

We identified 404 unique references that underwent title and abstract review by two independent reviewers, with 52 articles undergoing full-text review, where 10 relevant studies underwent data extraction. Although outcome measures varied, all included studies demonstrated diminished RNO in patients with CRS. Of six studies evaluating the relationship between retronasal and orthonasal olfactory test scores in CRS patients two out of six (33%) demonstrated a correlation between both forms of olfaction and CRS, and two out of six studies (33%) found significantly lower orthonasal olfactory test scores compared to retronasal olfactory test scores. Two of three found significant improvement in RNO with treatment of underlying CRS. Of three studies examining patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in CRS, two found significant associations between retronasal olfactory test scores and PROMs.

Conclusions

Based on the current literature, CRS patients appear to have diminished RNO, which may be associated with orthonasal olfactory dysfunction and decreased quality of life in this population. Higher level of evidence studies are required to further elucidate these relationships and the impact of medical and surgical CRS management on RNO.

Psychophysical chemosensory dysfunction in eating disorders: a qualitative systematic review

PURPOSE

Patients with chemosensory dysfunction experience significant quality of life disruptions, including reduced enjoyment of eating. While chemosensory dysfunction has been associated with eating disorders, the relationship is poorly understood. This systematic review aims to characterize psychophysical gustation and olfaction in patients with eating disorders.

METHODS

Systematic review of investigations assessing psychophysical chemosensory function in patients with organic eating disorders.

RESULTS

26 studies were included. Five studies assessed both chemosenses, while 12 and 9 assessed exclusively gustation or olfaction, respectively. In total, 779 patients were included [72.4% anorexia nervosa (AN), 26.7% bulimia nervosa (BN), 0.8% combined AN/BN]. Patients with eating disorders experienced rates of hypogeusia up to 87% in AN and 84.6% in BN. There was evidence for alterations in psychophysical olfaction, but orientation of trends were less clear. Chemosensory dysfunction was more evident in AN patients. Treatment correlated with improved chemosensory function.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite heterogeneity in study methodology and results, this review demonstrates that patients with eating disorders experience some degree of chemosensory dysfunction, particularly in gustation. This symptomatology overlaps with those experienced by patients with other causes of chemosensory impairment. These findings suggest potential broad psychosocial, dietary, and mental health implications in patient populations experiencing chemosensory dysfunction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II.

Impact of Routine Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery on Subjective Olfaction and Gustation Outcomes

BACKGROUND

As endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (EESBS) for sellar pathology has become routine, there is increasing awareness of quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes related to this approach. Similarly, there is a growing interest in postoperative chemosensory function, with notable emphasis on olfaction and the corresponding psychosocial implications of olfactory dysfunction. Meanwhile, there has been minimal direct investigation into gustatory outcomes, and the association between these 2 chemosensory functions remains poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate patient-reported chemosensory function and rhinologic-specific QOL following EESBS for routine sellar pathologies.

METHODS

Comprehensive clinical characteristics and sinonasal QOL assessments, measured using Anterior Skull Base Nasal Inventory-12 (ASK Nasal-12), were collected from 46 patients undergoing EESBS for sellar pathology.

RESULTS

Forty-six patients were included: 65.2% female, average age 52.8 yr (range: 27-89). The most common pathology was nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (n = 28). Preoperative ASK Nasal-12 scores (mean = 0.81) demonstrated postoperative worsening at 2 wk (mean = 2.52, P < .0001) and 1 mo (mean = 1.33, P = .0031), with no difference at 3 mo postoperatively (mean = 0.89, P = .92). Meanwhile, there was significant worsening of preoperative subjective smell (mean = 0.62) and taste function (mean = 0.42) at 2 wk (mean = 3.48, P < .0001; mean = 2.69, P < .0001) and 1 mo (mean = 2.40, P < .0001; mean = 2.03, P < .0001) postoperatively, which persisted at approximately 3 mo postoperatively (mean = 1.26, P = .04; mean = 1.15, P = .0059).

CONCLUSION

Patients undergoing EESBS for sellar pathologies experience anticipated, temporary disruptions in sinonasal QOL but may have longer lasting perturbations in subjective olfaction and gustation. Given the increasing use of the endoscopic endonasal corridor, further investigation in postoperative chemosensory function is essential.

Exposure to Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Anosmia

IMPORTANCE

Anosmia, the loss of the sense of smell, has profound implications for patient safety, well-being, and quality of life, and it is a predictor of patient frailty and mortality. Exposure to air pollution may be an olfactory insult that contributes to the development of anosmia.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of no more than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) with anosmia.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This case-control study examined individuals who presented from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2016, at an academic medical center in Baltimore, Maryland. Case participants were diagnosed with anosmia by board-certified otolaryngologists. Control participants were selected using the nearest neighbor matching strategy for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and date of diagnosis. Data analysis was conducted from September 2020 to March 2021.

EXPOSURES

Ambient PM2.5 levels.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Novel method to quantify ambient PM2.5 exposure levels in patients diagnosed with anosmia compared with matched control participants.

RESULTS

A total of 2690 patients were identified with a mean (SD) age of 55.3 (16.6) years. The case group included 538 patients with anosmia (20%), and the control group included 2152 matched control participants (80%). Most of the individuals in the case and control groups were women, White patients, had overweight (BMI 25 to <30), and did not smoke (women: 339 [63.0%] and 1355 [63.0%]; White patients: 318 [59.1%] and 1343 [62.4%]; had overweight: 179 [33.3%] and 653 [30.3%]; and did not smoke: 328 [61.0%] and 1248 [58.0%]). Mean (SD) exposure to PM2.5 was significantly higher in patients with anosmia compared with healthy control participants at 12-, 24-, 36-, 60-month time points: 10.2 (1.6) μg/m3 vs 9.9 (1.9) μg/m3; 10.5 (1.7) μg/m3 vs 10.2 (1.9) μg/m3; 10.8 (1.8) μg/m3 vs 10.4 (2.0) μg/m3; and 11.0 (1.8) μg/m3 vs 10.7 (2.1) μg/m3, respectively. There was an association between elevated PM2.5 exposure level and odds of anosmia in multivariate analyses that adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, alcohol or tobacco use, and medical comorbidities (12 mo: odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.28-2.33; 24 mo: OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.30-2.29; 36 mo: OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.30-2.19; and 60 mo: OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.22-2.08). The association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and the odds of developing anosmia was nonlinear, as indicated by spline analysis. For example, for 12 months of exposure to PM2.5, the odds of developing anosmia at 6.0 µg/m3 was OR 0.79 (95% CI, 0.64-0.97); at 10.0 µg/m3, OR 1.42 (95% CI, 1.10-1.82); at 15.0 µg/m3, OR 2.03 (95% CI, 1.15-3.58).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this study, long-term airborne exposure to PM2.5 was associated with anosmia. Ambient PM2.5 represents a potentially ubiquitous and modifiable risk factor for the loss of sense of smell.

Treatment Outcomes in Aspirin-Exacerbated Respiratory Disease Based on the 12-Item Short Form Survey

BACKGROUND

Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is optimally managed by endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) followed by aspirin therapy after desensitization (ATAD). Most AERD quality of life (QOL) studies use the 22-item Sinonasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-22), which focuses predominantly on sinonasal outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This study seeks to assess QOL outcomes in AERD patients after ESS and ATAD via the 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12), a well-validated QOL measure for general health status of chronic conditions.

METHODS

Retrospective review of 112 AERD patients who underwent ESS followed by ATAD at our institution between 2016 and 2019. SF-12 was collected preoperatively, postoperatively/pre-AD, and serially post-AD (1-3, 4-6, 7-12, and >12 months). Optum® PRO CoRE software was used to compare data to national norms. ANOVA was performed comparing physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS) and eight health domains (physical functioning, role physical, general health, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health).

RESULTS

AERD patients showed improvement in PCS scores across all timepoints after ESS and ATAD (p = 0.004). When stratified by gender, women demonstrated an improvement in PCS scores (p = 0.004). Within the domains, there were significant improvements in social functioning (SF), role physical (RP), and bodily pain (BP) at all timepoints (SF: p = 0.006; RP: p = 0.005; BP: p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

AERD patients undergoing ESS and ATAD show improvement in physical QOL and 3 of the 8 health domains as measured by the SF-12. Future studies can use the SF-12 to study the impact of AERD treatment versus other chronic diseases and health demographics.

Human olfactory dysfunction: causes and consequences

The sense of smell essentially contributes to social communication, guides nutrition behaviour and elicits avoidance towards environmental hazards. Olfactory smell impairment may hence entail severe consequences for affected individuals. Compared with sensory loss in other modalities, reduced olfactory function is often unnoticed by those affected and diagnosed late. Those patients seeking help frequently suffer from long-term impairments resulting in reduced well-being and quality of life. The current review provides an overview of aetiology, prevalence and specifics of diagnostics in acquired and congenital olfactory loss and focusses on short- and long-term consequences. Compensation strategies are elaborated, and treatment options are mentioned. Individual characteristics associated with the development of serious mental health impairment are discussed in order to help practitioners identifying populations at risk.

Olfactory outcomes in the management of aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease related chronic rhinosinusitis

Patients with aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) experience a severe and recalcitrant form of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) and asthma, which are exacerbated by aspirin/NSAID ingestion. As compared with aspirin-tolerant CRSwNP, patients with AERD experience more severe olfactory dysfunction, which is one of the key contributors to the observed decrease in quality of life (QOL) in this disease. The objective of this paper is to review the published olfactory outcomes observed with various treatment modalities.

The Aetiology of Olfactory Dysfunction and Its Relationship to Diet Quality

People with olfactory loss may choose foods rich in sugar, salt and fat to compensate their loss—foods that constitute a Western-style diet (WSD). However, olfactory dysfunction has not been consistently linked to any particular type of dietary change. Here we considered whether the aetiology of olfactory dysfunction may affect consumption of a WSD. Two-hundred and twenty-two people with olfactory dysfunction of varying cause, were tested for chemosensory performance and their frequency of consumption of a WSD. There was no evidence of a link between a WSD and olfactory dysfunction at the aggregate level, but an aetiology-based approach revealed various patterns, showing both positive and negative associations between olfactory performance and consumption of a WSD. We suggest a number of reasons why, in certain cases, greater olfactory dysfunction may be linked to lower intakes of a WSD, and the role that different aetiologies may have in affecting choices for foods that may appeal following olfactory impairment.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Taste Dysfunction in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

OBJECTIVES

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) often describe alterations in sense of taste. These complaints have historically been attributed to olfactory dysfunction; however, there is evidence of direct, objective, gustatory disturbances in the setting of CRS that are not thoroughly characterized. This study sought to investigate and summarize gustatory dysfunction experienced by patients with CRS.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were reviewed following PRISMA guidelines. English language, original studies investigating objective taste in adult patients with CRS were included. A meta-analysis with inverse variance, random-effects model was performed.

RESULTS

Of 2750 studies screened, 11 articles with 471 unique patients were included. Patients with CRS exhibit worse gustatory function compared to healthy controls (standardized mean difference 0.94 [95% CI, 0.44-1.45]). Hypogeusia was identified in 32/95 (33.7%) patients from three studies that used methods with a validated definition of hypogeusia. Older age, male gender, and smoking history were associated with taste dysfunction, while objective gustatory and olfactory dysfunction were not correlated. Subjective taste and quality of life measures were also not associated with objective taste. The impact of sinus surgery on objective taste is unclear.

CONCLUSION

Approximately 34% of patients with CRS experience hypogeusia. Neither olfactory function nor subjective taste were associated with objective gustatory function. Given the substantial prevalence of taste dysfunction patients with CRS, there is significant potential for growth in understanding of pathogenesis, impact on quality of life, and potential treatment strategies of taste impairment in the CRS patient population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

1 Laryngoscope, 131:482-489, 2021.

The relationship of chronic rhinosinusitis and depression

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this article is to identify and describe the relationship between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and comorbid depression, including the patient factors that may increase the risk of depression. The impact of comorbid depression on quality of life, response to treatment and healthcare utilization will also be assessed.

RECENT FINDINGS

CRS is associated with a significantly increased prevalence of depression, where 9-26% of patients with CRS will have physician-diagnosed depression. An additional 40% will have undiagnosed depression that can be identified through screening tools. Patients without polyps are more likely to experience comorbid depression, as are patients with significant sleep dysfunction, olfactory dysfunction, and pain. CRS symptoms do improve with medical and surgical therapy in depressed patients, though baseline and posttreatment scores are worse. A similar degree of benefit from therapy is seen in both depressed and nondepressed patients. CRS treatment does seem to improve depression, whereas the effect of depression specific therapy is unknown. Depressed patients have a significantly larger economic burden because of their increased healthcare utilization and productivity losses.

SUMMARY

Depression is a highly prevalent and impactful comorbidity in patients with CRS. Increased awareness of this relationship may improve patients' overall quality of care.

Olfactory Dysfunction and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is one of the cardinal symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and its prevalence ranges from 60% to 80% in patients with CRS. It is much more common in CRS with nasal polyposis patients compared to CRS without nasal polyposis. Decreased olfactory function is associated with significant decreases in patient-reported quality of life (QOL), and notably, depression and the enjoyment of food. Objective measures can help detail the degree of OD, whereas subjective measures can help to determine in the impact on patient. There is variable treatment response to OD with both medical and surgical therapies.