Subjective and Objective Assessments of Olfactory Function in Patients Taking Anti-Obesity Medications

Highlights Although studies have reported on olfactory function in patient with obesity with or without pharmacological treatment, the findings remain heterogeneous. We aimed to investigate the subjective and objective changes in the olfactory function in patients undergoing anti-obesity pharmacotherapy. Various clinical factors showed different associations with psychophysical test results, subjective olfactory discomfort, and parosmia in patients who underwent anti-obesity medications.Associated factors were body mass index and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for hyposmia, age for subjective olfactory discomfort, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol for subjective parosmia. Our study highlights the multifactorial nature of olfactory dysfunction in obesity and underscores the importance of comprehensive evaluation using both objective and validated subjective assessments.