They use these aromas to treat children who lost their sense of smell due to COVID

The Smell Disturbance Clinic was approved to open March 10 at the Colorado hospital. This treatment, known as "olfactory training", has been shown to be effective in adults. However, according to doctors, there is practically no data on whether the method works in children.  PAVLA ZAKOVA TNS

 

Orange. Eucalyptus. Lavender. Mint.

Doctors at Colorado Children's and Seattle Children's Hospitals will use these scents to treat children with COVID who have lost their sense of smell.

Parents will do a training session and take home a kit of essential oils for their children to smell twice a day for three months. The specialists will monitor your progress every month.

The Smell Disturbance Clinic was approved to open March 10 at the Colorado hospital. So far, five children have been screened and one has signed up. Seattle hopes to open the clinic this spring.

This treatment, known as "olfactory training", has been shown to be effective in adults. However, according to doctors, there is practically no data on whether the method works in children.

As the covid pandemic has evolved over the past 12 months, an increasing number of children and young adults have developed the disease. And a growing group suffers from long-lasting symptoms.

One of the most common complaints is the loss of smell.

The relationship between coronavirus and olfactory disturbances in adults is well documented. However, scientists still do not know how many people develop this complication or how the virus triggers it.

Doctors at Colorado Children's and Seattle Children's Hospitals will use these scents to treat children with COVID who have lost their sense of smell. Courtesy

Different research teams have found clues that could explain the phenomenon, such as inflammation and alterations in the structures that support the cells responsible for olfactory function.

But the subject in children is little studied. In fact, according to pediatric ENT specialist Dr. John McClay, there are relatively few studies on children with any type of smell disturbance, much less those caused by COVID.

"It's all too new," said McClay, who is also chair of the otolaryngology education committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics. "There is nothing definitive."

OLFACTORY TRAINING

Olfactory training has been a common treatment for adults who suffer from this problem; be it due to a neurological disorder such as Alzheimer's, a tumor that blocks nasal airflow or even some viruses, including covid.

Usually this is what happens: Doctors test the patient's sense of smell to establish a starting point. The adults are then given a set of essential oils with specific scents and instructions on how to stimulate the nose at home.

Patients typically smell each oil twice a day for several weeks or months. And they document the experience. At the end of the training, the doctors re-examine them to see if they have improved.

Dr. Yolanda Holler-Managan, a pediatric neurologist and adjunct professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said this approach, which is often used in treating adults, could also work in children.

In both age groups, the olfactory nerve can regenerate every six to eight weeks. As the nerve heals, this training can help strengthen the sense of smell.

"It's like helping a muscle get stronger again," he explained.

Late last spring, when doctors began discovering smell and taste problems in adults with covid, Dr. Kenny Chan, a pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist who oversees the new clinic in Colorado, realized this it could also be a problem for children.

Dr. Kathleen Sie of Seattle Children's Hospital observed the same thing when she received an email from someone at a local emergency center. After reading the message, Sie called Chan at Colorado Children's to discuss the matter. From this conversation, Sie saw the need to open a clinic to stimulate smell.

Both physicians must confront the difficulties that “olfactory training” can pose for children. One is that some patients may not be able to identify certain odors - the aromas of eucalyptus or spices like cloves, for example - because they are too young to have a frame of reference, McClay said.

To address these issues, Chan plans to modify the olfactory test used for adults with elements that may be more recognizable.

Finding children with smell disturbances can also be tricky. Many children with covid are asymptomatic, and others may be too young to verbalize what is happening to them or recognize what is missing.

However, according to McClay, the potential benefit of this simple treatment outweighs the cost and potential difficulties of its application in children. Olfactory training kits for adults sell for less than $ 50.

"There is no data to tell us that this works," Chan said. "But if nobody cares to analyze this problem, then it will not be solved."

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is the newsroom of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which produces in-depth journalism on health issues. Along with Policy Analysis and Surveys, KHN is one of KFF's top three programs. KFF is a nonprofit organization that provides health information to the nation.