Taste and Smell Dysfunction in the United States

Taste and Smell Dysfunction in the United States

Taste and smell dysfunction in the United States is a rampant clinical problem which has not achieved the significance it deserves in the practice of otolaryngology. These problems can be devastating to patients whereby they decrease food and fluid intake and experience exposure to spoiled food or noxious vapors. They decrease social interactions and thereby experience episodes of depression. Estimates suggest that there may be as many as 21 million people in the United States with this problem yet awareness of this “hidden epidemic” is lacking.