Table 2. Self-reported Assessment of Smell and Changes in Ability to Smell at Baseline, 3 Weeks, and 6 Weeksa.
| Assessment | Categories | Theophylline arm, No. (%) (n = 26) | Placebo arm, No. (%) (n = 25) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 3 Weeks | 6 Weeks | Baseline | 3 Weeks | 6 Weeks | ||
| Change in ability to smell from baseline (CGI-I) | Much better | NA | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 1 (4) |
| Somewhat better | NA | 0 | 4 (18) | NA | 2 (9) | 4 (17) | |
| Slightly better | NA | 8 (35) | 9 (41) | NA | 7 (30) | 5 (22) | |
| Neither better nor worse | NA | 15 (58) | 5 (23) | NA | 13 (57) | 12 (52) | |
| Slightly worse | NA | 0 | 1 (4) | NA | 1 (4) | 0 | |
| Somewhat worse | NA | 0 | 1 (4) | NA | 0 | 0 | |
| Much worse | NA | 0 | 2 (9) | NA | 0 | 1 (4) | |
| Overall ability to smell (CGI-S) | Very good | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (4) |
| Good | 0 | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 1 (4) | 2 (9) | |
| Fair | 1 (4) | 3 (13) | 6 (27) | 3 (12) | 6 (26) | 6 (26) | |
| Poor | 17 (71) | 16 (70) | 10 (46) | 16 (64) | 12 (52) | 11 (48) | |
| Absent | 6 (25) | 3 (13) | 5 (23) | 5 (20) | 4 (18) | 3 (13) | |
Abbreviations: CGI-I, Clinical Global Impression-Improvement; CGI-S, Clinical Global Impression-Severity; NA, not applicable.
a
Four participants in the theophylline arm and 2 participants in the placebo arm were either lost to follow-up, discontinued the study for inability to tolerate nasal irrigations, or were withdrawn for medical reasons.