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Objectives: To determine the top 10 research priorities in Smell and Taste Disorders (SATD). Design: After steering group was established, an electronic survey was disseminated to determine the list of questions. After removing out‐of‐scope responses, the remainder were consolidated to create summary questions. A literature search was conducted to remove already answered questions. A second survey was used to determine the top questions that formed the subject of final debate at a workshop attended by clinicians and patients to determine the top 10 priorities. Setting: A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (JLAPSP) was established by FifthSense to identify the top 10 research questions in SATDs in the United Kingdom. Participant: All stakeholders in SATDs (patients, healthcare professionals, family, carers, researchers). Main outcome measures: Final 10 research priorities. Results: The 665 respondents to the initial survey provided 1698 research questions. Thirteen were out‐of‐scope and removed; remaining 1685 were then consolidated to form 147 summary questions. Following literature search and discussion with the steering group, 37 questions remained for the second survey, which 235 people responded. The top ten priorities agreed upon in the workshop covered themes of improved understanding of pathophysiologlogy, improving health services, and managing long‐term effects of smell/taste disorders. The most important research question agreed was "How can we further our understanding of the mechanism of disease in the nerve pathways that affect smell and taste disorders, including where parosmia and phantosmia exist." Conclusion: We report the top 10 research priorities in smell and taste disorders. These priorities will now empower researchers to secure research funding and provide the basis of the FifthSense research hub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There are large numbers of patients with olfactory disturbance in the UK and shortfalls in assessment and support amongst mainstream practice in both primary and secondary care leading to significant quality‐of‐life impairment and potential missed diagnoses. The aim of this study was to determine the key themes which can be identified from the accounts of anosmia sufferers and to identify important areas to target for future research or service development. Design: Qualitative analysis of written patient accounts from patients corresponding with a tertiary smell and taste clinic in the UK. This qualitative study utilised unstructured written patient accounts from consenting patients experiencing olfactory disturbances received by the smell and taste clinic. Framework analysis was performed using Nvivo 10 software. Setting: Tertiary smell and taste clinic. Participants: Consenting patients who contacted the smell and taste clinic with accounts of their experiences. Main outcome measures: Themes generated by qualitative analysis with Nvivo software. Results: Accounts submitted by 71 participants were included in the analysis; age range 31‐80 years, 45 females, 26 males. Themes identified include negative emotional impact, feelings of isolation, impaired relationships and daily functioning, impact on physical health and the difficulty and financial burden of seeking help. Conclusions: Olfactory disturbances have a wide‐ranging impact on the lives of sufferers, compounded by a lack of knowledge of the disorder amongst clinicians. There is a role for further support and education both for sufferers and for clinicians, as well as a need to improve our understanding of olfactory disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objectives Design and Setting Results Conclusion To identify factors associated with cholesteatoma in a large UK cohort. Although some risk factors are frequently reported (male sex, history of chronic otitis media), other associations require further evidence (deprivation, smoking).Briefly, 1140 cholesteatoma cases from UK BioBank were compared to 4551 non‐cholesteatoma middle ear disease and 493 832 ear disease‐free controls. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated for demographic factors including age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation and smoking status with logistic regressions. Odds ratios for overlapping ICD‐10 codes are also calculated.Cholesteatoma was significantly associated with sex (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for males = 1.33, 95%CI = [1.179–1.491]), age (AOR = 1.02, 95%CI = [1.011–1.026]) and deprivation (AOR = 1.08, 95%CI = [1.059–1.097]) compared to ear disease‐free controls (p < 0.001). Age and deprivation distributions for cholesteatoma and non‐cholesteatoma ear disease were similar. Although there was no significant association with smoking status, cholesteatoma was significantly associated with the ICD‐10 code mental and behavioural disorders due to tobacco use (OR = 2.34, p < 0.001, 95%CI = [1.942, 2.813]). Cholesteatoma was also strongly associated with a wide range of inflammatory middle ear conditions and chronic sinus inflammation, suggesting an increased susceptibility to inflammation of the upper airways.This study shows a large overlap between cholesteatoma and non‐cholesteatoma ear disease in terms of numbers and demographics, with sex being a key factor distinguishing between the two, suggesting that there are both common and distinct associated factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]