Olfactory disorders in mild head trauma

Abstract

The olfactory impairment can occur in a series of neurological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, primary headaches and head trauma. The association of loss of smell with head trauma has been well studied in cases of severe trauma, in which there are significant changes in neurological examination and imaging studies, as well as other functional deficits affecting the patients. However, in medical routine, mild traumas are much more frequent and there are few studies of olfaction in mild head trauma, with controversial results, but suggesting olfactory loss is possible even in patients without alteration of consciousness and normal cranial CT scan. The objective of this study is to compare groups of patients with mild head trauma (Glasgow 13-15 and cranial CT without abnormalities) with control groups of the same gender, age and socio-economic conditions, using a standardized smell test (Sniffin Sticks), with a translation into Portuguese already validated, to establish if there is difference in the prevalence and severity of hyposmia between these two groups. Secondary objectives include studying the relationship between trauma mechanisms and hyposmia, and testing the accuracy (specificity and sensibility) of a simplified version of the Sniffin Sticks test to be used as a screening method in these cases. (AU)