Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,153,213 members, 7,818,723 topics. Date: Sunday, 05 May 2024 at 10:55 PM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Health / ANOSMIA: Do You Know Anyone Thhat Can't Smell? (1046 Views)
I Can't Smell Or Taste Anything, Please Help / Who Else Has Lost Sense Of Smell And Taste? / Do You Personally Know Anyone Who Has Tested Positive Or Died Of Coronavirus? (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
ANOSMIA: Do You Know Anyone Thhat Can't Smell? by AlexJustin(m): 9:35pm On Apr 29, 2017 |
Have u seen anyone with difficulties in smelling?
Anosmia (/ænˈɒzmiə/) is the inability to perceive
odor or a lack of functioning olfaction—the loss of
the sense of smell. Anosmia may be temporary, but
some anosmia (including traumatic anosmia) can be
permanent. Anosmia is due to a number of factors,
including an inflammation of the nasal mucosa,
blockage of nasal passages or a destruction of one
temporal lobe. Inflammation is due to chronic
mucosa changes in the paranasal sinus lining and the
middle and superior turbinates.
When anosmia is caused by inflammatory changes in
the nasal passageways, it is treated simply by
reducing inflammation.[1] It can be caused by
chronic meningitis and neurosyphilis that would
increase intracranial pressure over a long period of
time,[2] and in some cases by ciliopathy[3] including
ciliopathy due to primary ciliary dyskinesia
(Kartagener syndrome, Afzelius' syndrome or
Siewert's syndrome).[4]
Many patients may experience unilateral anosmia,
often as a result of minor head trauma. This type of
anosmia is normally only detected if both of the
nostrils are tested separately. Using this method of
testing each nostril separately will often show a
reduced or even completely absent sense of smell in
either one nostril or both, something which is often
not revealed if both nostrils are simultaneously
tested.[5]
A related term, hyposmia, refers to a decreased
ability to smell, while hyperosmia refers to an
increased ability to smell. Some people may be
anosmic for one particular odor. This is known as
"specific anosmia". The absence of the sense of smell
from birth is called congenital anosmia.
Signs and symptoms
Anosmia can have a number of harmful effects.
Patients with sudden onset anosmia may find food
less appetizing, though congenital anosmics rarely
complain about this, and none report a loss in
weight. Loss of smell can also be dangerous because
it hinders the detection of gas leaks, fire, and spoiled
food. The common view of anosmia as trivial can
make it more difficult for a patient to receive the
same types of medical aid as someone who has lost
other senses, such as hearing or sight.
Losing an established and sentimental smell memory
(e.g. the smell of grass, of the grandparents' attic, of
a particular book, of loved ones, or of oneself) has
been known to cause feelings of depression.[6]
Loss of olfaction may lead to the loss of libido,
though this usually does not apply to congenital
anosmics.[6]
Often people who have congenital anosmia report
that they pretended to be able to smell as children
because they thought that smelling was something
that older/mature people could do, or did not
understand the concept of smelling but did not want
to appear different from others. When children get
older, they often realize and report to their parents
that they do not actually possess a sense of smell,
often to the surprise of their parents.[6]
A study done on patients suffering from anosmia
found that when testing both nostrils, there was no
anosmia revealed; however, when testing each
nostril individually, tests showed that the sense of
smell was usually affected in only one of the nostrils
as opposed to both. This demonstrated that
unilateral anosmia is not uncommon in anosmia
patients. [5]
Causes
A temporary loss of smell can be caused by a blocked
nose or infection. In contrast, a permanent loss of
smell may be caused by death of olfactory receptor
neurons in the nose or by brain injury in which there
is damage to the olfactory nerve or damage to brain
areas that process smell (see olfactory system). The
lack of the sense of smell at birth, usually due to
genetic factors, is referred to as congenital anosmia.
Family members of the patient suffering from
congenital anosmia are often found with similar
histories; this suggests that the anosmia may follow
an autosomal dominant pattern.[7] Anosmia may
very occasionally be an early sign of a degenerative
brain disease such as Parkinson's disease and
Alzheimer's disease.
Another specific cause of permanent loss could be
from damage to olfactory receptor neurons because
of use of certain types of nasal spray; i.e., those that
cause vasoconstriction of the nasal microcirculation.
To avoid such damage and the subsequent risk of
loss of smell, vasoconstricting nasal sprays should be
used only when absolutely necessary and then for
only a short amount of time. Non-vasoconstricting
sprays, such as those used to treat allergy-related
congestion, are safe to use for prescribed periods of
time.[8] Anosmia can also be caused by nasal polyps.
These polyps are found in people with allergies,
histories of sinusitis & family history. Individuals with
cystic fibrosis often develop nasal polyps.
Amiodarone is a drug used in the treatment of
arrhythmias of the heart. A clinical study performed
demonstrated that the use of this drug induced
anosmia in some patients. Although rare, there was a
case in which a 66-year-old male was treated with
Amiodarone for ventricular tachycardia. After the use
of the drug he began experiencing olfactory
disturbance, however after decreasing the dosage of
Amiodarone, the severity of the anosmia decreased
accordingly hence correlating the use of Amiodarone
to the development of anosmia.[9]
List of causes
Upper respiratory tract infection (e.g., sinusitis or
the common cold)[10]
Nasal polyps
Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
Hypothyroidism
Head trauma, damage to the ethmoid |
Re: ANOSMIA: Do You Know Anyone Thhat Can't Smell? by susrite(m): 9:38pm On Apr 29, 2017 |
I believe this is really educational but apart from the first four lines, the others made no sense... Just because I didn't read them! |
Re: ANOSMIA: Do You Know Anyone Thhat Can't Smell? by Uglymugg: 12:50pm On Jul 10, 2018 |
I also can''t smell but it looks like i have Nasal Fucking Polyps. I took a touch light and looked inside my nose and compared it with another friends nose who could breath well and smell well and guess what? My damn nose had a tumor like growth inside of it. I started searching online for "Growth blocking nasal passage" That's how i found the name "Nasal Polyps" This has been the cause of my difficulty in breathing for the last 15 years of my life. A whole 15 years was robbed from me becuase of Nasal Polyps. Parents kept saying I will outgrow it but just like other things, they were wrong and I didn't outgrow anything. Now I'm looking for a cure as I do not want to have it surgically removed. Hell, it would be much better for me to yank it out of my nose myself with a kitchen knife. |
(1) (Reply)
D / 10 Foods For Harder Erections: Natural Viagra Foods / Are You A Man? Read Little. Are You A Woman? This Is For You
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 32 |