Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne.
Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2013 Jan;110(1-2):1-7, e1. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2013.0001. Epub 2013 Jan 7.
Disturbances of smell and taste are common. About 5% of the general population have anosmia (absence of the sense of smell). Olfactory dysfunction can markedly impair the quality of life.
Review of pertinent literature retrieved by a selective search.
In recent years, simple and reliable tests of the sense of smell have been introduced in otorhinolaryngology. Olfactory testing has become a new focus of attention in neurology as well, mainly because many patients with neurodegenerative diseases-including the majority of those with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease-have olfactory loss early on in the course of their disorder. Olfactory dysfunction is thus regarded as an early sign of neurodegenerative disease that may allow a tentative diagnosis to be made years before the motor or cognitive disturbances become evident. As for the treatment of olfactory loss, anti-inflammatory drugs and surgery can help in some cases, and olfactory training can lead to significant improvement of post-viral olfactory deficits.
Olfactory dysfunction is common and becomes more common with advancing age. It is increasingly receiving attention as an important sign for the early diagnosis and the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders.
嗅觉和味觉障碍很常见。大约 5%的普通人群存在嗅觉丧失（嗅觉缺失）。嗅觉功能障碍会显著降低生活质量。
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近年来，耳鼻喉科引入了简单可靠的嗅觉测试方法。嗅觉测试也成为神经病学的一个新关注点，主要是因为许多神经退行性疾病患者——包括大多数帕金森病或阿尔茨海默病患者——在疾病过程中很早就出现嗅觉丧失。因此，嗅觉功能障碍被认为是神经退行性疾病的早期迹象，可能在运动或认知障碍明显之前数年就可以做出初步诊断。至于嗅觉丧失的治疗，在某些情况下，抗炎药物和手术可能会有所帮助，嗅觉训练可以显著改善病毒后嗅觉缺陷。
嗅觉功能障碍很常见，随着年龄的增长而变得更加常见。它作为神经退行性疾病早期诊断和鉴别诊断的重要标志，越来越受到关注。
