[Dysosmia and dysgeusia in the elderly].

A study of dysosmia and dysgeusia in the elderly was undertaken in 50 patients, according to a simplified protocol based on an interview, a complete ENT examination, chemical gustrometry and recognition olfactometry. As far as olfaction was concerned, 11% of the patients interviewed said they were hyposmic, whereas following the olfactometric examination, hyposmia was found in 25% of the patients. As far as gustation was concerned, 5% of the patients complained of parageusia. The chemical gustrometric examination revealed 4% of cases of hypogeusia. As a conclusion to this study, it appears that olfactory and gustatory disorders are well tolerated in the elderly, and are not a cause for referral. The recognition olfactometric examination permits the detection of hyposmia with a relatively remarkable frequency.