Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation for the Treatment of Persistent COVID-Related Olfactory Dysfunction.

To evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid (O3FA) supplementation in the treatment of COVID-related olfactory dysfunction (OD). Patients with laboratory-confirmed or clinically-suspected COVID-19 infection and new-onset OD from August 2020 to November 2021 were prospectively recruited. Patients with quantitative OD, defined as a brief smell identification test (BSIT) score of 9 or less, were eligible for study inclusion. The experimental group received 2 g of O3FA supplementation, while the control group received an identical placebo to be taken daily for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was a change in BSIT score between the initial and 6-week follow-up tests. One hundred and seventeen patients were included in the analysis, including 57 patients in the O3FA group and 60 in the placebo group. O3FA group patients demonstrated a mean BSIT improvement of 1.12 ± 1.99 compared to 0.68 ± 1.86 in the placebo group ( Among patients with persistent COVID-related OD, our study showed no clear evidence of relative short-term or long-term olfactory recovery among patients receiving high doses of O3FA supplementation.