Antibodies to dorsal root ganglia and olfactory cells in a patient with chronic sensory neuropathy and anosmia

Smell and taste disorders in polyneuropathy: a prospective study of chemosensory disorders

“…Hitherto, marked chemosensory dysfunction has been reported in single PNP patients: Taste dysfunction or loss has been observed as an initial/prominent sign of Guillain‐Barré syndrome, Fisher syndrome, or chronic inflammatory demyelinating PNP (10–13, 16, 17). Severe olfactory loss was reported in chronic sensory ataxic neuropathy and in heredopathia atactica polyneuritiformis (Refsum’s disease) (15, 22). Further, in uremic neuropathy and amyloidosis taste function, and in arsenic PNP, both taste and smell functions may be markedly decreased (14, 23, 24).…”

“…Further, in uremic neuropathy and amyloidosis taste function, and in arsenic PNP, both taste and smell functions may be markedly decreased (14, 23, 24). As pathophysiological factors, numerous aspects have been discussed including toxic effects, such as arsenic, reduction of plasma zinc concentration (23), demyelinating features (11, 17), or autoimmune mechanisms (15, 16). Recently, in patients with burning mouth syndrome – a condition typically associated with impaired taste – (25) the density of epithelial and subpapillary nerve fibers was reduced and showed morphologic changes reflecting axonal degeneration suggesting trigeminal small fiber neuropathy (26).…”

“…There are several case reports on patients with polyneuropathy (PNP) in whom marked chemosensory dysfunction was one of the leading signs and symptoms (10–17). As systematic studies on this issue are rare, the aim of this observational study was to extensively test chemosensory function prospectively in a cohort of consecutively admitted patients with PNP.…”