smell (Page 4)

62% of Americans over age 53 have anosmia (no sense of smell) or hyposmia (a diminished sense of smell). They can’t always taste what they’re eating, which can be dangerous in cases of food poisoning. They also can’t smell smoke or leaking gas. This can be genetic or caused by viruses, chemical exposure, head injuries, nasal polyps, neurological diseases or Alzheimer’s. Claire Murphy has found that the loss of smell among seniors is “much larger than previously appreciated,” at almost 14 million. Men are much more likely to suffer from this than females, but researchers don’t know why.
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