AzTrials
AzTrials

COVID-19MBSR-LCPNCT06789952

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Versus Lifestyle Intervention for Long-Haul Covid-19 Parosmia

A study testing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Lifestyle Intervention in people with COVID-19, run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a defining symptom of COVID-19 infection. As the number of total, confirmed novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cases exceeds 45 million in the United States, it is estimated that up to 85% of infected patients will experience at least some olfactory dysfunction. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
COVID-19
What is being tested?
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Lifestyle Intervention
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
41 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
6 Sep 2023to 30 Nov 2023
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years
  • Reside within the continental United States
  • Ability to engage in virtual group sessions for 2 hours either Tuesday or Wednesday evenings for 8 consecutive weeks and the 1/2 day Weekend Retreat.
  • Clinically diagnosed or subjective parosmia of at least 3 months duration after COVID- 19 infection

Who cannot join

  • Clinically diagnosed olfactory dysfunction secondary to non-COVID-19 viral infection, genetic abnormalities, congenital dysfunction, trauma, nasal polyps, or neurodegenerative disorders.
  • Availability less than 4 months from time of enrollment
  • Residency outside the continental United States
  • History of substance abuse, PTSD, thoughts of self-harm, or other active poorly controlled psychiatric or psychological conditions
  • Sinus surgery in the 6 weeks prior to enrollment

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Washington University

    St Louis, Missouri, 63110

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Versus Lifestyle Intervention for Long-Haul Covid-19 Parosmia (LCP)

Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a defining symptom of COVID-19 infection. As the number of total, confirmed novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cases exceeds 45 million in the United States, it is estimated that up to 85% of infected patients will experience at least some olfactory dysfunction.

Therefore, we propose a Pilot single-site clinical trial to explore the efficacy of MBSR for Covid-19-related smell distortion (parosmia)

Read the detailed description

The perception of distorted smell in the presence of a familiar odor is referred to as parosmia. Parosmia can severely impair appetite and quality of life as familiar smells can trigger a foul smell. Parosmia is increasingly recognized as a long COVID symptom. Intranasal and oral corticosteroids, theophylline, Vitamin A, and omega-3 have all been proposed as treatment options for post-viral OD. Budesonide steroid irrigation paired with olfactory training, another avenure for treating olfactory loss, has shown some benefit compared with olfactory training alone. However, these treatments have demonstrated limited efficacy for patients with parosmia.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a psychological therapeutic intervention that emphasizes the focused, non-judgmental awareness of present-moment experiences without efforts being made to alter or avoid them. It is a practice that is embedded in mind/body and integrative medicine to cultivate psychological and emotional resilience. MBSR improves anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other psychological outcomes in clinical trials. Although MBSR is one of the most widely practiced and extensively studied meditation programs in the world, its mechanism of benefit for patients with parosmia has not yet been assessed.

In this phase II trial, patients will be allocated 1:1 to receive either a mindfulness-based stress reduction course or a lifestyle management course. The courses will meet virtually once per week for 8 consecutive weeks as well as a one-time 4 hour virtual retreat.

Conditions
COVID-19
Being tested
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Lifestyle Intervention
Keywords
Parosmia
Medical subject headings
COVID-19, Olfaction Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Mindfulness-Based Stress ReductionBehavioural

    MBSR is a psychological therapeutic intervention that emphasizes the focused, non-judgmental awareness of present-moment experiences without efforts being made to alter or avoid them. It is a practice that is embedded in mind/body and integrative medicine, it combines formal and informal practices of mindfulness.

    The formal practices include body scanning, gentle hatha yoga - movements, sitting meditation and walking, meditation. Informal practices include mindfulness of daily activities, such as eating, driving, washing dishes, showering, etc. A variety of other exercises will be used as a support for developing proficiency in the practice of mindfulness. This class places strong emphasis on experiential learning. Each session will include:

    • guided instruction while engaging in practices of mindfulness
    • opportunity to reflect on experiences and ask questions
    • discussion of topics related to the practice of mindfulness as a strategy for reducing stress
  • Lifestyle InterventionBehavioural

    The lifestyle sessions will include the following topics:

    Movement -passive stretches and dynamic stretches, cardio HIIT exercise, flexibility and strength, and core and balance.

    Nutrition Body - Include healthy eating with whole, clean, and nutritionally balanced meals; menu planning/prepping, snacking and noticing cravings and feelings of fullness or satiety.

    Sleep - Include routine for evening, and morning for optimal sleep, logging routines and quality of sleep, tools to aid in falling asleep, and returning to sleep during the night, eating and sleep patterns Nature/Culture/Arts (with Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art - which will also take place during ½ day retreat) includes spending time in nature and journal experiences, reconnecting with the sun, and surround self with nature.

    Financial - Focus on financial wellbeing, budgets/adjustments to budgets, and buying/spending patterns.

    Cooking - Include healthy foods, smoothies, juices, kitchen appliances.

Study groups in NCT06789952
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Mindfulness-Based Stress ReductionExperimentalParticipants randomized to the MBSR arm will complete eight weekly 2.0 to 2.5 hour classes. There will be a 30-minute Introduction session immediately prior to the first MBSR session. There will also be a 4-hour retreat the weekend prior to the Week 7 session. The subjects will be asked to practice formal mindfulness practices for 30 minutes per day.
Receives: Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Lifestyle InterventionActive comparatorParticipants randomized to the Lifestyle arm will complete eight weekly 2.0 to 2.5 hour classes. There will be a 30-minute Introduction session immediately prior to the first Lifestyle session. There will also be a 4-hour retreat the weekend prior to the Week 8 session. The subjects will be asked to practice formal lifestyle practices for 30 minutes per day.
Receives: Behavioral: Lifestyle Intervention

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Clinical Global Impression of Improvement Scale (CGI-I)

    The CGI-Improvement is a self-reported scale of improvement ranging from 1=Very Much Improved to, 7=Very Much Worsened in answer to the question "Compared to the start of the study, how would you rate how intrusive smell distortion (change) is in your life after 8 weeks of intervention". Participants reporting 3 as Minimally Improved, 2 as Much Improved, or 1 as Very Much Improved in the CGI-I will be defined responders to treatment. The response rate is defined as the number of participants self-reporting a score of 3 or less, devided by the total number of participants in the intervention group.

    Measured: Measured after completing 8 weeks of assigned intervention

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale for Parosmics (CGI-P)

    The CGI-P Scale is a global rating of the severity of parosmia assessed by the response to the question: "Overall, how would you rate your current distortion (change) of smell?" The single global rating ranges from 1-5, where 1 is No Distortion, 2 is Mild Distortion, 3 is Moderate Distortion, 4 is Mostly Distorted, and 5 is Complete Distortion.

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline and after 8-week intervention

  2. DysODOR

    The DysODOR questionnaire is a disease-specific health status survey to assess the physical problems, functional impairments, and emotional consequences secondary to olfactory dysfunction.

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline and after 8-week intervention

  3. The Smell Catastrophizing Scale - 13 Items (SCS)

    The CSC asks the participants to describe the degree to which they have specific thoughts and feelings as a result of their sense of smell problems.

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline and after 8-week intervention

  4. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21)

    The DASS-21 is a set of three self-report scales designed to measure the emotional state of depression, anxiety, and stress. Each of the three DASS-21 scales contains 7 items, divided into subscales with similar content. The depression scale assesses dysphoria, hopelessness, devaluation of life, self-deprecation, lack of interest / involvement, anhedonia and inertia. The anxiety scale assesses autonomic arousal, skeletal muscle effects, situational anxiety, and subjective experience of anxious affect. The stress scale is sensitive to levels of chronic non- specific arousal and assesses difficulty relaxing, nervous arousal, and being easily upset / agitated, irritable / over-reactive and impatient.

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline and after 8-week intervention

  5. The Acceptability Questionnaire - 10 Items

    The Acceptability Questionnaire contains a total 10 items. The first seven assess participants' views of the treatment through a scale 1 - 9 (1 not at all to 9 very positive about treatment). The last three are short answer questions to assess confidence in treatment,

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline

  6. The Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire - Parosmia (CEQ-P) - 6 Items

    The CEQ-P is divided into two sets of questions. Set 1 contains four questions that focus on what the participant thinks while Set 2 contains two questions that focus on what the participant feels. CEQ-P explores a participant's belief towards treatment.

    Measured: Measure will be taken at baseline

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Jan 2025
  2. Study start6 Sep 2023
  3. Primary completion30 Nov 2023
  4. Study completion30 Nov 2023

Why it stopped: Difficulties in recruitment

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
41 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06789952
Sponsor's protocol ID
202206182
Acronym
MBSR-LCP
Status last verified
Jan 2025
First submitted
26 Jan 2023
Last updated
23 Jan 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Lechien JR, Chiesa-Estomba CM, De Siati DR, Horoi M, Le Bon SD, Rodriguez A, Dequanter D, Blecic S, El Afia F, Distinguin L, Chekkoury-Idrissi Y, Hans S, Delgado IL, Calvo-Henriquez C, Lavigne P, Falanga C, Barillari MR, Cammaroto G, Khalife M, Leich P, Souchay C, Rossi C, Journe F, Hsieh J, Edjlali M, Carlier R, Ris L, Lovato A, De Filippis C, Coppee F, Fakhry N, Ayad T, Saussez S. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020 Aug;277(8):2251-2261. doi: 10.1007/s00405-020-05965-1. Epub 2020 Apr 6.

    PubMed 32253535
  • Khan AM, Kallogjeri D, Piccirillo JF. Growing Public Health Concern of COVID-19 Chronic Olfactory Dysfunction. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022 Jan 1;148(1):81-82. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2021.3379.

    PubMed 34792577
  • Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EM, Gould NF, Rowland-Seymour A, Sharma R, Berger Z, Sleicher D, Maron DD, Shihab HM, Ranasinghe PD, Linn S, Saha S, Bass EB, Haythornthwaite JA. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Mar;174(3):357-68. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018.

    PubMed 24395196
  • Meng X, Deng Y, Dai Z, Meng Z. COVID-19 and anosmia: A review based on up-to-date knowledge. Am J Otolaryngol. 2020 Sep-Oct;41(5):102581. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102581. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

    PubMed 32563019
  • Baig AM, Khaleeq A, Ali U, Syeda H. Evidence of the COVID-19 Virus Targeting the CNS: Tissue Distribution, Host-Virus Interaction, and Proposed Neurotropic Mechanisms. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2020 Apr 1;11(7):995-998. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00122. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

    PubMed 32167747
  • Bitter T, Gudziol H, Burmeister HP, Mentzel HJ, Guntinas-Lichius O, Gaser C. Anosmia leads to a loss of gray matter in cortical brain areas. Chem Senses. 2010 Jun;35(5):407-15. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjq028. Epub 2010 Mar 15.

    PubMed 20231262
  • Pekala K, Chandra RK, Turner JH. Efficacy of olfactory training in patients with olfactory loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2016 Mar;6(3):299-307. doi: 10.1002/alr.21669. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

    PubMed 26624966
  • Reden J, Maroldt H, Fritz A, Zahnert T, Hummel T. A study on the prognostic significance of qualitative olfactory dysfunction. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2007 Feb;264(2):139-44. doi: 10.1007/s00405-006-0157-0. Epub 2006 Sep 28.

    PubMed 17006637
  • Graziadei PP, Levine RR, Monti Graziadei GA. Plasticity of connections of the olfactory sensory neuron: regeneration into the forebrain following bulbectomy in the neonatal mouse. Neuroscience. 1979;4(6):713-27. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(79)90002-2. No abstract available.

    PubMed 481748
  • Seiden AM, Duncan HJ. The diagnosis of a conductive olfactory loss. Laryngoscope. 2001 Jan;111(1):9-14. doi: 10.1097/00005537-200101000-00002.

    PubMed 11192906
  • Cavazzana A, Larsson M, Munch M, Hahner A, Hummel T. Postinfectious olfactory loss: A retrospective study on 791 patients. Laryngoscope. 2018 Jan;128(1):10-15. doi: 10.1002/lary.26606. Epub 2017 May 29.

    PubMed 28556265
  • Nguyen TP, Patel ZM. Budesonide irrigation with olfactory training improves outcomes compared with olfactory training alone in patients with olfactory loss. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2018 Sep;8(9):977-981. doi: 10.1002/alr.22140. Epub 2018 Jun 14.

    PubMed 29901865
  • Kabat-Zinn J, Massion AO, Kristeller J, Peterson LG, Fletcher KE, Pbert L, Lenderking WR, Santorelli SF. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 1992 Jul;149(7):936-43. doi: 10.1176/ajp.149.7.936.

    PubMed 1609875
  • Kabat-Zinn J. Mindfulness Meditation: What It Is, What It Isn't, And It's Role in Health Care and Medicine. In: Haruki YI, Y.; Suzuki, M., ed. Comparative and Psychological Study on Meditation. Netherlands: Eburon; 1996:161 - 169.

  • Goldin PR, Gross JJ. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion. 2010 Feb;10(1):83-91. doi: 10.1037/a0018441.

    PubMed 20141305

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Lifestyle Intervention in people with COVID-19, run by Washington University School of Medicine at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 Jan 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Difficulties in recruitment). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Clinical Global Impression of Improvement Scale (CGI-I) (time frame: Measured after completing 8 weeks of assigned intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06789952, which also lists 25 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 Jan 2025.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in