Does post-infectious olfactory loss affect mood more severely than chronic sinusitis with olfactory loss?

Objectives/hypothesis: Olfactory deficits that develop after viral upper respiratory infection (URI) may have different effects on patient depression index compared to chronic sinusitis with olfactory loss. However, there have been no controlled trials to evaluate the different effects of chronic sinusitis and URI on depression index.
Study Design: Prospective study of 25 subjects in two groups.
Methods: This study enrolled 25 participants who were diagnosed with post-URI olfactory loss as the study group and 25 patients with chronic sinusitis and olfactory loss as a control group. Control group participants were matched for age, sex, and degree of olfactory loss (threshold, discrimination, and identification [TDI]). We compared the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores of each group and analyzed the correlation between TDI and BDI.
Results: The mean BDI score of the post-URI group was significantly higher than that of the control group (14.52 ± 6.59 vs. 9.32 ± 5.23; P=.002). Age, sex, and TDI score did not affect BDI score in the post-URI olfactory loss group. However, BDI score in the sinusitis group was inversely correlated with TDI score (R=-0.423; P=.035), and the BDI score of female subjects (11.00 ± 5.13) was significantly higher than that of male subjects (5.00 ± 2.16; P = .047).
Conclusions: Post-URI olfactory loss affected patient mood more severely than chronic sinusitis with a similar degree of olfactory loss. This influence was not affected by sex, age, or TDI score in the post-URI olfactory loss group.
Level of Evidence: 3b.
(© 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)