Smell disorders

Abstract

Introduction: Smell disorders are common symptoms in the population, mainly in older adults, which can significantly alter the patient's quality of life, and may be the initial manifestation of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

Objective: Update the clinical therapeutic performance of smell disorders.

Methods: A bibliographic research on the subject was carried out. Twenty references were reviewed using internet sources and classic texts of the specialty. The MEDLINE, PubMed and SciELO databases were consulted.

Analysis and synthesis of information: Smell is a chemical sense, it perceives chemical compounds present in the air or odorant molecules that act as stimuli and that allow obtaining information from the surrounding environment, providing valuable data about the outside world. This sense can be altered with decrease, abolition or distortion in the perception of it.

Conclusions: Chemosensory functions decrease with aging, thus affecting the ability of older people and impacting their quality of life. Loss of smell is further aggravated in dementia and in some cases precedes the onset of cognitive decline.