is the official Journal of the European and International Rhinologic Societies and appears quarterly in March, June, September and December. Cited in Pubmed, Current Contents, Index Medicus, Exerpta Medica and Embase Founded in 1963 by H.A.E. van Dishoeck, Rhinology is a worldwide non-profit making journal. The journal publishes original papers on basic research as well as clinical studies in the major field of rhinology, including physiology, diagnostics, pathology, immunology, medical therapy and surgery of both the nose and paranasal sinuses. Review articles and short communications are also pulished. All papers are peer-reviewed. Letters-to-the-editor provide a forum for comments on published papers, and are not subject to editorial revision except for correction of English language.In-depth studies that are too long to be included into a regular issue can be published as a supplement. Supple ments are not subject to peer-review.

The present data provide normative values for the "Taste Strips" based on over 500 subjects tested.

The data in the study revealed that olfactory dysfunction among subjects under 65 years of age is more frequent than previously reported.

The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of self-reported ratings of olfactory function in 83 healthy subjects. Such ratings were compared with quantitative measures of olfactory function, as well as with ratings of nasal patency. In experiment 1 subjects rated olfactory function and nasal patency before olfactory testing, whereas in experiment 2 the reverse was the case. No feedback regarding test results were provided until after completion of the testing. The principal findings were: (i) when ratings preceded measurements of olfactory function, there was no significant correlation between the two parameters. However, ratings of olfactory function correlated significantly with ratings of nasal airway patency. (ii) In contrast, when measurements of olfactory function preceded the ratings, this constellation switched. Now ratings of olfactory function correlated significantly with measured olfactory function, whereas there was no significant correlation between ratings of nasal airway patency and ratings of olfactory function. In conclusion, these data suggest that ratings of olfactory function are unreliable in healthy, untrained subjects. The ratings seem to reflect changes of nasal airway patency to a larger degree than measurable olfactory function. The results further indicate that this is mainly due to the limited attention the sense of smell receives in daily life.

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00403806.