Anosmia: loss of smell in the elderly.
More than 35 million people in the United States are aged 65 years or older. Of people aged more than 80 years, 62% to 80% have a significant reduction in their sense of smell, which can adversely affect their safety and nutritional status. This article reviews the anatomy of smell and discusses the known and theorized etiologies of smell loss in the elderly population.
Lafreniere
Denis
D
Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, MC-6228, Farmington, CT 06030-6228, USA. lafreniere@nso.uchc.edu
Mann
Norman
N
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology