Self-perceived Taste and Flavor Perception: Associations With Quality of Life in Patients With Olfactory Loss.

<bold>Objective: </bold>To evaluate associations between self-perceived chemosensory functions of smell, taste, and flavor perception with olfactory-specific quality of life (QoL) in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) and whether these associations would be influenced by other factors, such as duration or etiology of smell loss.<bold>Study Design: </bold>Retrospective cohort study.<bold>Setting: </bold>Tertiary care, academic center.<bold>Methods: </bold>Olfactory-specific QoL was measured with the Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (QOD). The QOD measures the impact of OD on QoL (QOD-negative statements) and the ability of patients to cope with smell loss (QOD-positive statements). Orthonasal olfactory function, patients' demographics, self-perceived chemosensory perception, and duration and etiology of OD were retrospectively collected in a cohort of patients with quantitative OD. Correlations and multivariable linear regression models were computed to determine possible associations with the outcome measure of QOD-negative and QOD-positive statement scores.<bold>Results: </bold>A total of 133 patients with OD were included. Analysis revealed a positive correlation between self-perceived taste and flavor perception with QOD-negative statement scores, while self-perceived smell showed no significant correlation. Similarly, longer duration of smell loss and higher age were also correlated with higher QOD-positive statement scores. Multivariable regression models confirmed that self-perceived taste was independently associated with the QOD-negative statement score, while age and duration of OD were independently associated with the QOD-positive statement score.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>These findings suggest that the impact of diminished flavor perception during eating and drinking has a stronger impact on the QoL of patients with OD as compared with decreased orthonasal olfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]