Smell loss patients are being failed by healthcare professionals, study reveals

People who have lost their sense of smell are being abandoned by health professionals, new research has shown.

A study by Newcastle University, the University of East Anglia, and the charity Fifth Sense shows that GPs and specialists have little understanding and care about loss of smell and taste in patients.

This is an issue that has come to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic, as many people who have contracted the virus report loss of taste and smell as the main symptoms.

Around one in ten people who suffer from a loss of smell due to Covid-19 reports that their sense of smell has not normalized four weeks after the illness.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Otolaryngology, highlights the difficulty people with smell and taste disorders have in accessing treatment.

The research team says identifying these barriers is critical to providing people with better access to health care.

More resources needed

Dr. Stephen Ball of Newcastle University Medical School, who led the study, said, “This study underscores the need for greater attention to be paid to patients with loss of smell or taste.

“When you compare the funded and available health services for people with loss of other senses – such as vision or hearing – the differences are enormous. Our results show that this exists for patients in both primary and secondary care.

“This group of patients, which has increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, needs more attention and resources.”

More than 600 odor loss patients took part in a survey that captured their poor experiences with access to health care.

The survey shows that many general practitioners and specialists (both in neurology and in the ear, nose and throat department) do not fully understand the effects of odor and taste disorders on patients.

Over 60 percent of patients said they had suffered from anxiety or depression since they lost their smell. And almost all patients – 98 percent – said their quality of life was impaired.

Only about 20 percent of patients said that their symptoms improved after treatment.

Professor Carl Philpott of the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School said: “Before the pandemic, around five percent of the population were affected by odor disorders. But the huge increase in odor loss caused by Covid-19 has created an unprecedented global demand ”for treatment.

“Odor disorders cause people to lose their sense of smell or change their perception of smell. Some people perceive smells that are not there.

“There are many causes of odor loss – from infections and injuries to neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and as a side effect of some medications.

“Our research shows that there is an unmet need for odor loss patients to access health care and that health care education clearly needs to be improved to remove existing barriers.”

Quality of life impaired

This research was done prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but identified many areas that were consistent across multiple experiences.

Other problems reported included repeated ineffective treatments, difficulty getting referrals for further treatments, and average personal costs of £ 421 to seek advice and treatment.

Duncan Boak, founder and chairman of Fifth Sense, a charity for people affected by odor and taste disorders, said, “Odor disorders can have a huge impact on people’s quality of life in many ways.

“An important part of Fifth Sense’s work is giving our beneficiaries a voice and the opportunity to change societal understanding of odor and taste disorders, whether through volunteering or participating in research studies like this one.

“The results of this study will be of great help in our ongoing work to improve the lives of those affected.”

Source:

Journal reference:

Ball, S. et al. (2021) Barriers to Effective Healthcare for Patients with Odor or Taste Disorders. Clinical ENT medicine. doi.org/10.1111/coa.13818.

source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/smell-loss-patients-are-being-failed-by-healthcare-professionals-study-reveals/