The extent of a chemosensory disorder can be determined by measuring the lowest concentration of a chemical that a person can detect or recognize.
Some people are born with chemosensory disorders, but most develop them after an injury or illness.
Chemosensory disorders may result from polyps in the nasal cavities, sinus infections, hormonal disturbances, or dental problems.
For more on treating
chemosensory disorders, consider neurologist Alan R.
In a study of 750 consecutive patients with
chemosensory disorders seen at the University of Pennsylvania's Smell and Taste Center, only two cases (0.3%) were induced by brain tumors.
Of the more than 10 million Americans estimated in one study to have
chemosensory disorders, "the predominant problem is a natural decline in smell ability that typically occurs after age 60," according to NIDCD.
Consider directing your clinical acumen to help patients, community members, and future generations "come to their chemosenses." Those readers interested in an in-depth clinical discussion and a detailed analysis of the neuroscience may wish to refer to "
Chemosensory Disorders: Emerging Roles in Food Selection, Nutrient Inadequacies, and Digestive Dysfunction." This is a chapter authored by Alan Hirsch, MD, and Bradley Whitman, MD, MS, in Advancing Medicine with Food and Nutrients, Second Edition (CRC Press 2012).
The conditions include all those you might expect - dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension, asthma, ADHD, autism, diabetes, obesity, acne, irritable bowel, depression, Parkinson's - and quite a few that you might not (
chemosensory disorders, rhinosinusitis, seizures, and renal calculi).
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Chemosensory disorders: diminished taste and smell acquired from medical and iatrogenic causes unfavorably alter food selection.
