Disorders of the senses of taste and smell are not uncommon, occurring in over three million adults in the United States alone. Olfactory dysfunction occurs in about half of the population between the ages of 65 and 80 years and in about three-quarters of those 80 years of age and older (Figure 1). Although rarely appreciated, taste and smell disorders have significant consequences for the pati...

OBJECTIVES The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, a test of olfactory function that is widely used by otolaryngologists, geriatricians, and neurologists, has been translated into more than a dozen languages. In some instances, cultural and socioeconomic factors have necessitated changes in the odorant items or the response alternatives to make the test scores congruent with N...

OBJECTIVE To study chronic effects of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) on cranial nerve I (nervi olfactorii), which have been only minimally described. METHODS Chemosensations (smell and taste) were evaluated in eight men who complained of continuing dysfunction 2-3 years after the start of occupational exposure to H2S. Various bilateral (both nostrils) and unilateral (one nostril at a time) odour thr...

Since olfactory dysfunction is among the first signs of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), olfactory testing may aid in the early of 'preclinical' diagnosis of this disorder. Indeed, the proportion of early-stage PD patients with olfactory dysfunction appears to be greater than the proportion of early-stage PD patients exhibiting some of the cardinal signs of PD. Because olfactory function va...

Introduction. The aims of this study were to assess the impact of traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) in postviral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) patients who were refractory to standardized treatment and to compare the results with the impact observed in an observation group. Methods. Fifty patients who presented to the outpatient clinic with PVOD and were refractory to standardized treatment ...