2.1 Subjects
This manuscript was prepared using the STROBE checklist, and medical
records of patients who visited the smell and taste center of ******
University Hospital between October 2021 and February 2023 were
reviewed. The research protocol was reviewed and found to be in
compliance with the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the
Institutional Review Board (IRB) of ********University Hospital. The IRB
authorized the exemption of getting informed consent from the enrolled
subjects.
The inclusion criteria were adult patients who visited our clinic with a
complaint of olfactory or gustatory dysfunction and performed all the
psychophysical olfactory and chemical gustatory function tests and the
subjective questionnaire regarding their symptoms.
The exclusion criteria were patients whose subjective recognition of
olfactory or gustatory dysfunction could not be identified, who
underwent sinonasal surgery, or who had immunological diseases such as
malignancy. Patients previously diagnosed with cognitive dysfunction
were also excluded from this study.