Medical treatment of traumatic anosmia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To study the effects of zinc and steroid in the treatment of traumatic anosmia.

STUDY DESIGN:

A prospective, randomized study.

SETTING:

Academic medical center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

Patients with a clear history of loss of smell after head injury and whose thresholds were -1 measured by the phenyl ethyl alcohol threshold test were included in this study from January 2010 to May 2013. They were randomly divided into 4 groups. Patients in group 1 were treated with zinc gluconate for a month and high-dose prednisolone with tapering for 2 weeks. Those in group 2 took only zinc gluconate, and those in group 3 took only prednisolone. Patients in group 4 did not take any medicine. All patients were followed up by phenyl ethyl alcohol threshold testing, and magnetic resonance imaging was performed to measure the volume of olfactory bulbs.

RESULTS:

Thirty-nine patients in group 1, 35 in group 2, 34 in group 3, and 37 in group 4 completed the study. The recovery of olfactory function was observed in 11 patients (28.2%) in group 1, in 9 (25.7%) in group 2, in 4 (11.8%) in group 3, and in 1 (2.7%) in group 4. The recovery rates of olfactory function of groups 1 and 2 were significantly higher than the recovery rate of group 4. The volume of olfactory bulbs was not significantly different between those with and without improved olfactory function.

CONCLUSION:

Our results show that zinc gluconate has a promising effect in treating traumatic anosmia.

• Authors: Rong-San Jiang, Chih-Wen Twu, Kai-Li Liang
• Journal: Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg) Vol. 152 Issue 5 Pg. 954-8 (May 2015) ISSN: 1097-6817 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25715353 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)
• Copyright: © American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

Chemical References

• Glucocorticoids
• Gluconates
• Prednisolone
• Zinc
• gluconic acid

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Craniocerebral Trauma (complications)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Female
• Glucocorticoids (administration & dosage)
• Gluconates (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Olfaction Disorders (drug therapy, etiology)
• Prednisolone (administration & dosage)
• Prospective Studies
• Young Adult
• Zinc (therapeutic use)