Schiffman S S
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
JAMA. 1997;278(16):1357-62.
To review the scientific literature on the alterations in the senses of taste and smell in the elderly, including causes, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
Original reports and reviews obtained through MEDLINE searches from 1966 through June 1997 using the MeSH headings of "taste," "taste buds," "taste disorders," "taste thresholds," "smell," "odors," "aged," and "aging." Articles frequently cited in reference lists were also included.
All articles were reviewed, tabulated, and summarized.
Criteria for extraction included data quality and validity, statistical treatment of the data, venue of publication, and relevance to clinical care.
Losses of taste and smell are common in the elderly and result from normal aging, certain disease states (especially Alzheimer disease), medications, surgical interventions, and environmental exposure. Deficits in these chemical senses cannot only reduce the pleasure and comfort from food, but represent risk factors for nutritional and immune deficiencies as well as adherence to specific dietary regimens. Chemosensory decrements can lead to food poisoning or overexposure to environmentally hazardous chemicals that are otherwise detectable by taste and smell. Use of flavor-enhanced food can increase enjoyment of food and have a positive effect on food intake and immune status.
回顾关于老年人味觉和嗅觉改变的科学文献，包括病因、诊断、预后及治疗。
通过医学主题词（MeSH）检索1966年至1997年6月期间MEDLINE数据库获取的原始报告和综述，检索词为“味觉”“味蕾”“味觉障碍”“味觉阈值”“嗅觉”“气味”“老年人”及“衰老”。参考文献列表中频繁引用的文章也被纳入。
对所有文章进行审阅、列表整理和总结。
提取标准包括数据质量和有效性、数据的统计学处理、发表地点以及与临床护理的相关性。
味觉和嗅觉丧失在老年人中很常见，其原因包括正常衰老、某些疾病状态（尤其是阿尔茨海默病）、药物、手术干预及环境暴露。这些化学感觉的减退不仅会降低食物带来的愉悦感和舒适度，还会成为营养和免疫缺乏以及遵守特定饮食方案的危险因素。化学感觉减退可能导致食物中毒或过度暴露于原本可通过味觉和嗅觉察觉的环境有害化学物质中。使用风味增强食品可增加食物的愉悦感，并对食物摄入量和免疫状态产生积极影响。
