Gent J F, Goodspeed R B, Zagraniski R T, Catalanotto F A
Yale J Biol Med. 1987 Jan-Feb;60(1):27-35.
Complaints of taste and smell dysfunction unaccompanied by symptoms of neurological or nasal problems are not uncommon. However, "I can't taste" is not necessarily an accurate symptom description. Complaints tend to reflect the common confusion between taste sensations (that is, salt, sour, sweet, bitter) and flavor sensations (including taste, smell, temperature, and texture). A number of questions have been identified that help classify symptoms according to the type of dysfunction (taste, smell, or both): whether the problem is quantitative (reduced or absent sensation) or qualitative (distorted sensations); and what might have caused the dysfunction. Directed questioning can yield a clinical history that predicts chemosensory function and identifies the most likely cause of the problem. Questions were assessed by comparing the self-reports of taste and smell symptoms to the clinical evaluation of chemosensory function for 101 new patients seen in the Taste and Smell Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center in 1983.
伴有味觉和嗅觉功能障碍但无神经或鼻腔问题症状的主诉并不少见。然而，“我尝不出味道”不一定是准确的症状描述。这类主诉往往反映出味觉感受（即咸、酸、甜、苦）和风味感受（包括味觉、嗅觉、温度和质地）之间常见的混淆。现已确定了一些问题，有助于根据功能障碍类型（味觉、嗅觉或两者皆有）对症状进行分类：问题是定量的（感觉减退或缺失）还是定性的（感觉扭曲）；以及功能障碍可能的成因是什么。针对性的询问可以得出一份能预测化学感觉功能并确定问题最可能原因的临床病史。通过将1983年在康涅狄格大学健康中心味觉与嗅觉中心就诊的101名新患者的味觉和嗅觉症状自我报告与化学感觉功能的临床评估进行比较，对这些问题进行了评估。
