Outcomes of Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus olfactory training in Post Covid-19 Smell Disorders: A comparative study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Otolaryngology Department, Assuit University , Assiut, Egypt

2 Clinical Pathology Department , Assiut University , Assuit , Egypt

Abstract

Background: Olfactory dysfunction often arises from viral infections (such as upper respiratory infections and COVID-19), head trauma, neurodegenerative diseases, or sinonasal issues. Traditional treatment, such as olfactory training, corticosteroids, and surgery, frequently show limited and inconsistent results. This has led to growing interest in alternative therapies like Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection as a potential treatment option.
Methods: This randomized prospective clinical trial was carried out on 42 patients aged >18 years old including both sexes, who had suffered from post covid-19 persistent smell dysfunction for more than six months. Patients were divided into two groups; group 1 was treated with PRP injection into the olfactory area and group 2 was treated with olfactory training (OT) and olfactory function was assessed by threshold, discrimination and identification tests (TDIT).
Results: Our result showed that 19 out of 42 patients (45,2%) had improved while the remaining 23 patients (54.8%) showed no improvement. Each of PRP injection and OT showed a statistically significant improvement with p values (<0,001 - 0,002) respectively after one month follow up.
Conclusions: PRP has promising outcome for treatment of post COVID-19 smell disorders. Although OT was beneficial, it could be used as a supplementary therapy rather than a primary treatment modality for post covid 19 olfactory dysfunctions.
keywords: Platelet-Rich Plasma, PRP, COVID-19, Smell Disorders, olfactory training, OT

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