Olfaction (sense of smell)

Sense of smell or Olfaction, which is indirectly related to the perception of taste, is evaluated with smell identification tests.

What are smell disorders?

Symptoms of anosmia or hyposmia can range from the not being able to smell or taste at all to the reduced ability to smell or taste specific things that are sweet, sour, bitter or salty. Furthermore, in some cases, normally pleasant tastes or smells may become unpleasant.

Testing Olfaction

Olfactory assessment is often neglected in clinical practice. Meanwhile, olfactory loss can assist in diagnosis and may lead to significant morbidity. “Sniffin’ Sticks testing” is a modern test of nasal chemosensory performance that was developed in Germany and validated in many countries.

Sense of Smell examination

These sniffing tests are very reliable and accurate to determine olfactory function. We  examine each nasal cavity separately using a series of reusable pen-like odor-dispensing devices.

An alteration in taste or smell may be a secondary process in various disease states, or it may be the primary symptom. Consequently, it is very important to be detected and diagnosed.

References

• Hudson L, Silva MC, Núñez JC, Gómez R, Venegas-Francke P. Valores normales de olfato, hiposmia y anosmia en población chilena sana según la batería “Sniffin Sticks” [Evaluation of olfaction in healthy subjects using the Sniffing Sticks battery]. Rev Med Chil. 2012 Apr;140(4):442-6.
• Haxel BR, Bertz-Duffy S, Fruth K, Letzel S, Mann WJ, Muttray A. Comparison of subjective olfaction ratings in patients with and without olfactory disorders. J Laryngol Otol. 2012 Jul;126(7):692-7.
• Rumeau C, Nguyen DT, Jankowski R. How to assess olfactory performance with the Sniffin’ Sticks test(®). Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2016 Jun;133(3):203-6.