[Olfaction dysfunction]. / Disfunción del olfato.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To report of results obtained with the systematized boarding (physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment) to dysfunction of the smell that can affect the patient's life in significant form. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 58 patients were evaluated that went to the clinic with alterations in the olfaction or the pleasure, or both. The protocol includes a guided questionnaire, tests of identification of scent and threshold olfactory, rhinomanometry, nasal histogram, I simple study radiological of the roads breathing superiors and paranasals sinus, besides computer axial tomography and endoscopy. RESULTS: The most frequent cause in the olfactory dysfunction was the due mechanical obstruction to inflammatory processes, as chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis, which obstruct the olfactory niche like complication; of the 58 patients, 48% belonged to this group. This inflammatory illness was divided, in turn, in allergy pure 25%, infectious 21% and pattern mixed 54%. The olfactory tests showed hyponia severe. In the general analysis the rest of the olfactory dysfunction was classified as postviral in 20%, posttraumatic in 12.1%, a group miscellaneous 8.6%, caused by toxins 6-9%, being a group of idiopathic cause in 3.4%.