title: Hazardous events associated with impaired olfactory function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the risk of olfactory-related hazardous events in patients with impaired olfactory function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A university-based clinic for smell and taste disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 445 patients who underwent olfactory testing between 1983 and 2001.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient interview, olfactory testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  (1) Frequency of olfactory-related hazardous events including cooking incidents (ie, burning pots or pans), undetected fires, undetected gas leaks, and ingestion of spoiled foods or toxic substances; (2) level of olfactory function (anosmia; severe, moderate, or mild hyposmia; or normosmia) as determined by olfactory testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Olfactory testing revealed that 76% of patients had some degree of impairment; 30% had complete anosmia. Thirty-seven percent of patients with olfactory impairment but only 19% of patients without impairment experienced at least 1 olfactory-related hazardous event. Of the hazardous events reported by impaired patients, cooking-related incidents were most common, representing 45%, with ingestion of spoiled food (25%), inability to detect a gas leak (23%), and inability to smell a fire (7%) reported less frequently. There was a significant correlation between frequency of hazardous events and degree of olfactory impairment (Cochran-Armitage trend test, P<.001): at least 1 hazardous event was reported by 45.2% of patients with anosmia, 34.1% with severe hyposmia, 32.8% with moderate hyposmia, 24.2% with mild hyposmia, and 19.0% of patients with with normal olfaction by testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with impaired olfactory function are more likely to experience olfactory-related hazardous events than those with normal olfactory function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Evan R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: Laurence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: DiNardo
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Costanzo
mesh_terms: D000061:Accidents, Home; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003296:Cooking; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005579:Fossil Fuels