Allergic rhinitis causes loss of smell in children: The OLFAPEDRIAL study

• Published in: Pediatric allergy and immunology 2016-12, Vol.27 (8), p.867-870
• Main Authors: Langdon, Cristóbal, Guilemany, José María, Valls, Meritxell, Alobid, Isam, Bartra, Joan, Dávila, Ignacio, Cuvillo, Alfonso, Ferrer, Marta, Jáuregui, Ignacio, Montoro, Javier, Sastre, Joaquín, Valero, Antonio, Mullol, Joaquim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; allergic rhinitis; Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma; Allergies; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; loss of smell; Male; olfaction; Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology; Pediatrics; Rhinitis, Allergic - epidemiology; Severity of Illness Index; Smell; Spain - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0905-6157; 1399-3038
• DOI: 10.1111/pai.12655

Background The objective of the OLFAPEDRIAL study was to assess the olfactory dysfunction in allergic paediatric population, which has been scarcely studied. Methods Observational, cross‐sectional and multicentre study evaluated the sense of smell in untreated allergic rhinitis (AR) paediatric patients aged 6–12 years. Results Forty‐four per cent (551 of 1260) of children with AR reported smell dysfunction, with both loss of smell frequency (52.1%, p < 0.001) and intensity (0.75 ± 0.84, p < 0.0001) being more frequent in patients with persistent than intermittent AR (38.0% and 0.51 ± 0.73, respectively). In addition, both loss of smell frequency and intensity increased according to disease severity (m‐ARIA classification) but always being significantly higher in persistent (p < 0.0001) than in intermittent AR. Conclusions Children with allergic rhinitis present a mild–moderate loss of smell frequency and intensity which is clearly related to the disease duration and severity. The loss of smell can be considered, as in adults, a clinical marker of disease severity.