Olfaction disorders in patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-Sectional Study

Background: Approximately three-quarters of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) develop an olfactory disorder (OD). Given the insidious nature and progressive onset of OD in CRS, many patients are not conscious making it difficult to recognize the prevalence of olfactory loss . Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the frequency of TO, the characteristics of patients suffering from CRS in a hospital setting in Kinshasa. Methods : This is a cross-sectional and analytical study conducted on 105 patients with CRS in 2 medical trainings of Kinshasa. Included patients should be ≤ 18 years, have a diagnosis of CRS, completed the primary level of study and given informed consent. The ASOF questionnaire and the Sniffin sticks test (SST) were used for subjective and/or objective assessment of olfaction. Results : The mean age of patients was 40.3 ± 1.4 years with a female predominance. Allergic comorbidities were the most reported antecedents. Nasal symptomatology was dominated by postnasal drip, pain and nasal obstruction. Subjectively, 22.9% of patients reported impaired olfaction. Using the SST, 63.8 % of patients with CRS presented a TO dominated by hyposmia. The age of patients was significantly higher in patients with TO compared to the group without TO (42.6 ± 5.3 years vs 36.3 ± 13.3; p : 0.035).