In human, olfaction, which is one of defense mechanisms, is useful for tasting foods and detection of noxious agents in the environment. Interests in the olfactory functions have recently increased.
The major diseases in which smell function is altered or impaired are head trauma, post-viral and rhinosinusitis. Among these disorders the incidence of olfactory dysfunction in sinusitis and allergic rhinitis is relatively higher in the East
than
in
the West.
So, the author carried out lofactory study on the patient with allergic rhinitis and sinusitis complaining olfactory dysfunction, which is frequently seen at outpatient door. The olfactory threshold test using butanol and olfactory identification
tests
using 20 kinds of odors were performed to oberve the correlation between the subjective complaint and the level of olfactory dysfunction as measured by 2 tests.
@ES The results were as follows :
@EN 1. Olfactory detection threshold was 6.9 at grade I, and 5 at grade II in patients with allergic rhinitis.
2. Olfactory detection threshold was 6.4 at grade 0, 6.2 at grade I, and 5 at grade II in patients with allergic rhinitis.
3. In identification rest, 78% of odors at grade 0, 75% at grade I, and 65% at grade II were identified accurately in .patients with allergic rhinitis.
4. In identification test, 75% of odors at grade 0, 67% at grade I, and 60% at grade II were identified accurately in patients with sinusitis.
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