Investigation of "anosmic zones" associated with nasal allergy

Abstract

Twenty-seven nasal allergy patients suffering from olfactory disturbance were evaluated in this study. The intravenous olfaction test yielded almost normal responses in 27 cases. The standard olfactory acuity test, however, showed that the mean thresholds of detection of each odor were almost the same, while the mean thresholds of recognition of odors A and E were higher than those of the other odors. Douek has reported selective olfactory loss in patients with vasomotor rhinitis including allergic rhinitis and proposed the concept of "anosmic zones". By modifying the definition of "anosmic zones" in order to use it for the results of T & T olfactometry, we identified 8 patients who exhibited anosmic zones among 27 subjects. These results were inconsistent with the proposed mechanism that nasal obstruction causes olfactory disturbance in patients suffering from nasal allergy. Therefore, the specific factors related to nasal allergy may influence olfaction. We speculate that the pathological changes in the olfactory mucosa may induce secondary abnormalities in olfactory transduction, particularly at the point of signal transduction in olfactory cells. Other possibilities to explain anosmic zones were also discussed.