University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Goedstrup Hospital, Hospitalsparken 15, DK-7400, Herning, Denmark.
University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Goedstrup Hospital, Hospitalsparken 15, DK-7400, Herning, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensen's Boulevard 82, DK-8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Sep;184:112081. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.112081. Epub 2024 Aug 23.
Smell and taste are senses that contribute to a child's overall well-being. Disorders affecting these senses can impact a child's daily life from enjoying meals to detecting potential dangers through scent. The aim of this study is to describe patient characteristics and etiological causes of olfactory (OD) and/or gustatory disorders (GD) in children referred to a smell and taste clinic. Secondly, we aim to suggest a clinical work up.
Retrospective study where data were collected from 57 children who were referred consecutively to the University Clinic for Flavour, Balance, and Sleep; Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ORL), Head and Neck Surgery; Goedstrup Hospital, Denmark, for assessment due to OD/GD from January 2017 to May 2023.
Most of the children had anosmia (60 %), whereas sensation of the basic tastes was intact in all but eight children (16 %). The lowest TDI scores were in children with congenital OD. The underlying etiology was congenital followed by postinfectious mostly related to Covid-19. Picky eating including anorectic traits were seen in 16 % of patients.
The focus on smell loss in pediatric population is low, and probably does not adequately reflect either underlying prevalence in this group or the possible consequences on a child's well-being. Moreover, increased awareness of children's smell and taste loss is needed, as it may be associated with eating disturbances.
嗅觉和味觉是影响儿童整体健康的感官。影响这些感官的障碍会影响儿童的日常生活，从享受美食到通过气味察觉潜在危险。本研究旨在描述嗅觉（OD）和/或味觉障碍（GD）患儿的患者特征和病因。其次，我们旨在提出临床评估建议。
这是一项回顾性研究，从 2017 年 1 月至 2023 年 5 月，连续有 57 名因 OD/GD 到丹麦 Goedstrup 医院耳鼻喉科（ORL）味觉、平衡和睡眠科就诊的儿童的数据被收集。
大多数儿童有嗅觉丧失（60%），但只有 8 名儿童（16%）基本味觉感觉完整。TDI 评分最低的是先天性 OD 儿童。潜在病因是先天性的，其次是感染后性的，主要与新冠病毒相关。16%的患者存在挑食，包括厌食特征。
儿科人群对嗅觉丧失的重视程度较低，这可能既不能充分反映该人群中潜在的发病率，也不能反映嗅觉丧失对儿童健康的可能影响。此外，需要提高对儿童嗅觉和味觉丧失的认识，因为这可能与饮食紊乱有关。
