Postviral Olfactory Dysfunction

Abstract

Seventeen patients with varying degrees of olfactory dysfunction were studied at the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center in Denver, Colorado. Detailed chemosensory testing was carried out, followed by biopsy of the olfactory mucosa. Ultrastructural study of the biopsies revealed near-complete degeneration of the ciliated olfactory receptors of anosmic patients and reduced populations of ciliated olfactory receptors in the hyposmic patients. Based upon these observations, it is postulated that upper respiratory infection can produce a spectrum of histopathologic change in the olfactory epithelium which can be correlated with afunctional deficit. The clinical implications of these observations are discussed.