title: Olfactory performance after crenotherapy in chronic rhinosinusitis in the elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of crenotherapy on the olfactory performance of elderly patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal case-control study of a cohort of elderly patients affected by CRS and olfactory dysfunction assessed with the Sniffin' Sticks (Burghart Medical Technology, Wedel, Germany) (SS) olfactory test.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and thirty-seven elderly subjects with CRS were divided into two groups. The investigational arm (n = 69) underwent crenotherapy with hyperthermal water, rich in mineral salts, and the control group (n = 68) underwent NaCl 0.9% both for 12 days. At baseline and at 1 and 6 months after treatment, both groups underwent ear nose and throat assessment and SS. Self-report questionnaires were administered at baseline to evaluate the patients' own olfactory response, and after treatment to evaluate their degree tolerability. Olfactory performance was then evaluated in elderly subjects with hyposmia without CRS (n = 40) and in younger subjects with both hyposmia and CRS (n = 40).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No adverse reactions were reported after crenotherapy. The SS total score showed that crenotherapy induced a statistically significant improvement in the olfactory function of both the elderly and the younger subjects with hyposmia and CRS. By contrast, no improvement was observed in the control arm and in the elderly with hyposmia without CRS. All subjects showed a good degree of tolerability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated that crenotherapy effectively improves olfactory function in elderly patients with CRS. Finally, our study suggests that crenotherapy represents a safe therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CRS and olfactory dysfunction in the elderly.
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Science, Section of ENT.|Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, "Federico II" University, Naples.
authors: Elena
authors: E
authors: Cantone
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Science, Section of ENT.
authors: Nunzia
authors: N
authors: Maione
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Science, Section of ENT.
authors: Vittoria
authors: V
authors: Di Rubbo
authors: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Baronissi (SA), Italy.
authors: Fabrizio
authors: F
authors: Esposito
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Science, Section of ENT.
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Iengo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000628:therapy*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000628:therapy*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Crenotherapy; chronic rhinosinusitis; olfaction