RT Book, Section
A1 Doty, Richard L.
A1 Bromley, Steven M.
A2 Hauser, Stephen L.
A2 Josephson, S. Andrew
SR Print(0)
ID 1145768783
T1 DISORDERS OF SMELL AND TASTE
T2 Harrison's Neurology in Clinical Medicine, 4e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259835865
LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1145768783
RD 2024/04/24
AB All  environmental  chemicals  necessary  for  life  enter  the  body  by  the  nose  and  mouth.  The  senses  of  smell  (olfaction)  and  taste  (gustation)  monitor  such  chemicals,  determine  the  flavor  and  palatability  of  foods  and  beverages,  and  warn  of  dangerous  environmental  conditions,  including  fire,  air  pollution,  leaking  natural  gas,  and  bacteria-laden  foodstuffs.  These  senses  contribute  significantly  to  quality  of  life  and,  when  dysfunctional,  can  have  untoward  physical  and  psychological  consequences.  A  basic  understanding  of  these  senses  in  health  and  disease  is  critical  for  the  physician,  because  thousands  of  patients  present  to  doctors’  offices  each  year  with  complaints  of  chemosensory  dysfunction.  Among  the  more  important  recent  developments  in  neurology  is  the  discovery  that  decreased  smell  function  is  among  the  first  signs,  if  not  the  first  sign,  of  such  neurodegenerative  diseases  as  Parkinson’s  disease  (PD)  and  Alzheimer’s  disease  (AD),  signifying  their  “presymptomatic”  phase.