About 20 percent of adults suffer from some form of smell and taste disorders, according to Dr. Jose Mattos, co-director of the University’s new Center for Smell and Taste and associate professor of Otolaryngology. Launched Jan. 17, the new center will aim to treat a wide variety of these disorders, particularly anosmia and ageusia — the total loss of smell or taste.
Physicians have seen an increase in rates of anosmia and ageusia since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a virus which can sometimes cause loss of smell and taste. Because treatment options for these side effects are still limited, the center aims to research these disorders in order to discover improved treatment options.
Over the course of the past year, Dr. Mattos has been working to launch the new Center for Smell and Taste which also aspires to facilitate access to care for patients. In his role as co-director of the center, Mattos said that he will provide patient care expertise, while his partner, Dr. Steven Munger, co-director of research and professor of Otolaryngology, will provide expertise in research of smell and taste disorders.
"We want to be able to take care of patients who have smell and taste disorders, but also engage in research projects, and also community outreach and education.” Mattos said, “All of those things come together to build the center."
Mattos also shared that he hopes the center will address research and clinical care by creating an environment of crossover, pairing both research and clinical care with education and community outreach. He said that while U.Va. Health has been treating patients with smell and taste disorders since before opening the center, he hopes to make research and clinical aspects more efficient by conducting both within the same practice
“I think what this center allows us to do is to sort of streamline their care, create more resources around the care of these patients, create a centralized way to perform research studies and enroll patients in research and clinical trials,” Mattos said.
There are additionally many non COVID-related causes of smell and taste disorders, which include other viruses, chronic disorders, trauma and medication, which the center also aims to treat. According to Mattos, there is growing research that shows how smell and taste disorders are key indicators on life expectancy.
"If you look at large populations of patients, when you control for all other things — like cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity — smell loss is one of the most important independent predictors of five year mortality in our older individuals," Mattos said.
Mattos explained the ways in which the center will be an important addition to U.Va. Health, saying that smell and taste disorders can isolate patients from friends and family, as well as cause other health issues such as malnourishment.
“Something that used to smell pleasant now smells foul, [which is] frequently associated with food,” Mattos said. “People will say that their food tastes rotten, or perfumes [become] foul smelling to them. When things that should be pleasant are foul, that's extremely disconcerting for patients.”
The loss of smell and taste can also be indicative of longer term disorders, including neurodegenerative disease — conditions which damage parts of the neurological system and can impact patients’ quality of life and health, according to Mattos. These broader implications can have life-threatening effects — the center will aim to catch these health problems early on.
“We know that losing one's ability to smell has other deeper impacts.” Mattos said. “In many patients who have neurodegeneration — things like Parkinson's disease and dementia — loss of smell is one of the first things that appears.”
As one of the few centers offering focused treatments on smell and taste disorders in Charlottesville, it will help address a growing need with a recent increase in patients in the region, according to Mattos.
“There's always been a need to take care of patients with smell and taste disorders,” Mattos said. “Now we have a more organized and streamlined set of resources to help.”
Patients can reserve an appointment at the Center by calling 434-443-4350 or scheduling online.
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