Objectives/Hypothesis To investigate causative viruses in patients with postviral olfactory disorders (PVOD). Study Design Case‐control study. Methods One hundred fifty‐one consecutive patients diagnosed with PVOD were enrolled, and samples from 38 patients who visited the doctor within 3 months of symptom onset were collected and analyzed. Thirty‐two individuals who underwent surgery for nasal septal deviation during the same time period were collected as the control group. The Sniffin' Sticks psychophysical olfactory test was used to evaluate olfactory function. Olfactory cleft specimens were collected using nasopharyngeal flocked swabs (COPAN FLOQSwabs). Eighteen viruses were tested for with the Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 Assay Kit. Results Out of the 38 patients with PVOD, rhinoviruses were detected in 13 patients, and coronavirus OC43 was detected in one patient. The frequency of positive virus detection in the patients with anosmia was higher than in those with hyposmia (58.8% vs. 19.0%, P = 0.018). In control group, rhinovirus was identified in one patient (3.1%). Nasal obstruction was the most common symptom and was experienced by 71.0% of patients. Conclusions Rhinovirus and coronavirus are more commonly identified in PVOD. Our methods represent an approach to screen for viruses that may be involved in PVOD. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:158–164, 2021

No abstract

Variability in human olfactory sensitivity has been attributed to individual-level factors such as genetics, age, sex, medical history of infections and trauma, neurogenerative diseases, and emotional disorders. Scarce evidence exists on the cross-cultural variation in olfactory sensitivity. Hence, we performed 2 studies to estimate the variability in olfactory threshold as a function of location and environment. Study 1 involved 11 laboratories from 4 continents (N ϭ 802). In each location, in a designated laboratory, approximately 80 subjects underwent olfactory sensitivity testing with custom-made tests with eucalyptol and phenylethanol (PEA) odors. Tests were based on the Threshold subtest of the Sniffin' Sticks battery.In Study 2, we compared olfactory sensitivity and suprathreshold perception of PEA and eucalyptol in 2 Chinese (N ϭ 160) and 2 Indian (N ϭ 92) populations-one based in their native country and the other in Germany. Both studies present large-scale evidence that olfactory sensitivity varies as a function of geographical location and suggest that environmental factors play an important role in shaping olfactory sensitivity and suprathreshold olfactory perception. We delineate further steps necessary to identify specific factors underlying uncovered variability and the relationship between olfactory sensitivity and suprathreshold odor perception.