Self‐esteem as an important factor in quality of life and depressive symptoms in anosmia: A pilot study

OBJECTIVES Previous research has reported a negative impact of olfactory dysfunction on quality of life (QoL) and depressive symptoms. As self-esteem was identified as a contributing factor to depression, this study aimed to investigate QoL, depressive symptoms and self-esteem in patients with smell loss. DESIGN Prospective controlled study. SETTING Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, in co-operation with the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Medical University of Vienna, Austria. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-two anosmic patients (12 females, 10 males) and 25 healthy controls (15 females, 10 males) participated in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Olfactory performance was assessed using the Sniffin' Sticks battery. In addition, psychological questionnaires that covered the topics quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), depressive symptoms (BDI-II) and self-esteem (MSWS) were conducted. RESULTS The results of this study revealed a decrease in QoL and reduced body-related self-esteem in anosmic patients. Furthermore, QoL and self-esteem were correlated with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION As self-esteem, QoL and depressive symptoms in anosmia interact with each other, we suggest that self-esteem should be considered in the medical history, in order to provide a personalised intervention, adapted to the patient's needs.