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| Poster #211 Normosomic patients in a Smell and taste Clinic |
| Antje Welge-Lüssen 1 & Thomas Hummel2 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Basel, Basel,, --, Switzerland 2Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, --, Germany |
Objective: Not all patients presenting themselves to specialized Smell and Taste Clinics exhibit olfactory loss. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of normosmic subjects seeking medical advice for olfactory dysfunction. Methods: Data from 2321 patients seeking advice in the last ten years (Jan 2015 to December 2024) were analyzed. Subjective impairment was evaluated in all using a visual analogue scale. Endonasal endoscopy and olfactory testing (lateralized Sniffin´ Sticks test, composite TDI (threshold, discrimination and identification) score) was performed, diagnosis was made accordingly. Results: In 318 (14%) examinations out of 2321 normosmia was seen, 33 patients (pat.) were examined twice and 6 three times. Data from 273 pat. were analyzed. Main complaint in 74 (27%) pat. (46 female [F], 28 male [M], age [mean, years(y)]: 49 ± 14) was dysgeusia, 47 (63.5%) out of these had bilateral and 27 (36.5%) unilateral normosmia (best TDI, mean: 33.34 ± 2.93), 74 pat. (52 F, 22 M, age: 43 ± 12 y) were suffering from a postinfectious disorder, 47 (63.5%) with unilateral and 27 (36.5%) with bilateral normosmia, mean best TDI: 32.70 ± 2.21). In 19 posttraumatic pat. (7 F, 12 M, age 43 ± 16 y) bilateral normosmia was found in 3 cases only. In 106 (39%) pat. (56 F, 50 M, age 48 ± 14 y) no obvious reason for subjective complaints could be identified, however, in 67 (63%) unilateral hyposmia or anosmia was detected. Subjective impairment was highest in this group. Conclusion: Even though self assessment seems unreliable, 2/3 of patients complaining about an olfactory disorder without obvious reasons exhibited unilateral reduction in function. This suggests that the complaints have to be taken seriously. The current findings are in favor of meticulous testing in this specific group of patients. |