is the official Journal of the European and International Rhinologic Societies and appears quarterly in March, June, September and December. Cited in Pubmed, Current Contents, Index Medicus, Exerpta Medica and Embase Founded in 1963 by H.A.E. van Dishoeck, Rhinology is a worldwide non-profit making journal. The journal publishes original papers on basic research as well as clinical studies in the major field of rhinology, including physiology, diagnostics, pathology, immunology, medical therapy and surgery of both the nose and paranasal sinuses. Review articles and short communications are also pulished. All papers are peer-reviewed. Letters-to-the-editor provide a forum for comments on published papers, and are not subject to editorial revision except for correction of English language.In-depth studies that are too long to be included into a regular issue can be published as a supplement. Supple ments are not subject to peer-review.

Recent anecdotal and scientific reports have provided evidence of a link between COVID-19 and chemosensory impairments such as anosmia. However, these reports have downplayed or failed to distinguish potential effects on taste, ignored chemesthesis, and generally lacked quantitative measurements. Here, we report the development, implementation and initial results of a multi-lingual, international questionnaire to assess self-reported quantity and quality of perception in three distinct chemosensory modalities (smell, taste, and chemesthesis) before and during COVID-19. In the first 11 days after questionnaire launch, 4039 participants (2913 women, 1118 men, 8 other, ages 19-79) reported a COVID-19 diagnosis either via laboratory tests or clinical assessment. Importantly, smell, taste and chemesthetic function were each significantly reduced compared to their status before the disease. Difference scores (maximum possible change ±100) revealed a mean reduction of smell (-79.7 ± 28.7, mean ± SD), taste (-69.0 ± 32.6), and chemesthetic (-37.3 ± 36.2) function during COVID-19. Qualitative changes in olfactory ability (parosmia and phantosmia) were relatively rare and correlated with smell loss. Importantly, perceived nasal obstruction did not account for smell loss. Furthermore, chemosensory impairments were similar between participants in the laboratory test and clinical assessment groups. These results show that COVID-19-associated chemosensory impairment is not limited to smell, but also affects taste and chemesthesis. The multimodal impact of COVID-19 and lack of perceived nasal obstruction suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection may disrupt sensory-neural mechanisms.

To investigate the outcome of olfactory function in patients with olfactory loss following infections of the upper respiratory tract (post-URTI) or head trauma.

The present study suggests that a 16-week short-term exposure to specific odors may increase olfactory sensitivity in patients with postinfectious and post-traumatic olfactory dysfunction.