Targeting Neuroinflammation to Alleviate Chronic Olfactory Dysfunction in Long COVID: A Role for Investigating Disease-Modifying Therapy (DMT)?

Arianna Di Stadio, Evanthia Bernitsas, Ignazio La Mantia, Michael J Brenner, Massimo Ralli, Luigi Angelo Vaira, Andrea Colizza, Carlo Cavaliere, Matteo Laudani, Teresa C Frohman, Marco De Vincentiis, Elliot M Frohman, Marta Altieri. Life (Basel). 2023 Jan 13;13(1):226.

Observational studyHumansWith luteolin (co-ultramicronised PEA-LUT), with olfactory training

This study tested palmitoylethanolamide together with luteolin (co-ultramicronised PEA-LUT), with olfactory training. Its results cannot be assigned to palmitoylethanolamide alone. More combination studies.

Design: Observational study
Subjects: 45 people with post-COVID olfactory disorders and 40 people with multiple sclerosis
Dose used in the study: Co-ultramicronised palmitoylethanolamide with luteolin plus olfactory training for the COVID group; amount not stated. The MS group received disease-modifying therapies
Duration: Three months for the COVID group
What was measured: Nasal endoscopy and Sniffin' Sticks olfactory testing before and after treatment in both groups.

What the authors reported

This study found:

After treatment, 13 of 45 COVID patients on PEA-LUT had residual olfactory impairment versus 10 of 40 MS patients on disease-modifying therapies.
Persistent loss was less severe in the MS group, and MS patients on interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate kept olfactory function.
The authors suggest trials of DMTs for post-COVID smell loss that does not respond to PEA-LUT.

Limits of this study

Two different diseases treated with different drugs, not a randomised comparison. Effect sizes and statistics are not in the abstract. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Source

PubMed 36676175 · doi:10.3390/life13010226

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.