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.