Background: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is prevalent in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF); however, its overall impact in this population is understudied. No systematic review on this topic is currently available.
Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review the existing
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Background: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is prevalent in people with cystic fibrosis (PwCF); however, its overall impact in this population is understudied. No systematic review on this topic is currently available.
Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on OD in PwCF.
Methods: A systematic review was performed using PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria consisted of articles that examined OD in PwCF using psychophysical olfactory testing. PubMed, Ovid Medline, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, MedRxiv, and Web of Science databases were searched on 13 June 2022. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality and determine risk of bias for the studies included in the meta-analysis.
Results: A total of 87 articles were initially identified; ten were ultimately included. All ten studies were prospective and observational. A total of 420 PwCF were included in these studies (209 females, mean age = 26 years). Psychophysical olfactory testing was performed via the 40-Question Smell Identification Test (n = 4 studies), Sniffin’ Sticks Testing (n = 4 studies), and other odor identification tests (n = 2 studies). The mean prevalence of OD was 61% (range 10–88%), while rates of anosmia ranged from 5 to 14. The meta-analysis demonstrated that PwCF had lower threshold, discrimination, and identification scores compared to controls, with a very large effect size (Hedges’ g = −1.57, 95% CI = −2.51 to −0.63). Five studies revealed impairment in odor identification. Five studies assessed potential associations between OD and body mass index.
Conclusions: OD is common in PwCF. Most PwCF have hyposmia, while anosmia is less common. Olfactory limitations have not been well characterized in pediatric patients. Understanding how OD affects PwCF is critical to optimization of disease management and quality of life.
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