Olfactory deficits in anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Young patients admitted to the hospital due to anorexia nervosa report reduced pleasure and impaired perception of smell while eating. So far, two studies on odour identification ability in eating disorders did not suggest any significant deficits. Therefore a new and more detailed method of olfactory testing may be needed, in order to determine the subjective impairment of olfaction.


METHODS
By using all three subtests of the recently developed smell test called "Sniffin'Sticks", the olfactory deficits were assessed in more detail and the results of female anorectic patients (n = 17) were compared with those of healthy females (n = 15).


RESULTS
By examining the anorectic patients no deficits in the subtest odour identification were found. On the contrary, in the subtests odour discrimination and odour threshold deficits of the anorectic patients were detected.


CONCLUSIONS
Reduced olfactory perception might be considered as a common deficit in anorexia nervosa with possible influences and consequences for therapy.
Roessner
Veit
V
Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Georg-August University Goettingen, von Siebold Strasse 5, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. vroessn@gwdg.de
Bleich
Stefan
S
Banaschewski
Tobias
T
Rothenberger
Aribert
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*