Parosmia is a disorder of the sense of smell, in which the patient feels different smells completely different than they actually smell - instead of the pleasant smell of a fresh meal, a person with this problem may experience, for example, a burning smell or a rot odor. Find out what causes parosmia and how it is diagnosed. What is the treatment of parosmia based on?
Parosmiais an olfactory disorder in which the patient feels the smells that exist around him, but perceives them… completely different than they actually smell. In principle, you can hear about such a problem quite rarely. In practice, however, it may be much more frequent than one might assume. As evidence, we can cite the results of a study published in 2007, where parosmia was found in almost 4% of the surveyed Swedes.
Parosmia isn't the only olfactory disorder. They include, for example, hyposmia, i.e. a weakened ability to perceive olfactory sensations, but also anosmia, i.e. the loss of the ability to perceive smells.
Parosmia: reasons
In fact, parosmia can be caused by various types of pathologies in which the olfactory neurons or the olfactory bulb are damaged.Infections are believed to be the main cause of this disorder .
Infections
Patients who have experienced some infection of the upper respiratory tract may complain about incorrect perception of scent stimuli.
Various infections - both viral and bacterial - can lead to an olfactory disorder - but recently there has been a lot of mention of parosmia related to COVID-19.
Head injuries
Parosmia can also appear as a result of head injuries. It can occur especially when there is damage to the lower regions of the brain, where the olfactory bulb is located.
Neurological diseases
It is also worth mentioning about neurological diseases, which can also cause parosmia. Perceiving olfactory stimuli differently from what they actually smell is sometimes experienced in the course of Parkinson's disease.
In addition, the cause of this type of olfactory disorder is also temporal epilepsy (in its case, however, parosmia typically appearsduring a seizure and this usually disappears after one to two weeks)
Cancer
Relatively rare, but a possible cause of parosmia are neoplastic diseases. The olfactory disorders in question can be caused by, for example, neoplasms developing in the lumen of the sinuses, but also brain tumors (especially changes in the area of the frontal cortex).
Sometimes, however, not the cancer itself, but its treatment leads to parosmia. The problem is sometimes observed after the patient undergoes chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Toxic substances
The olfactory cells responsible for receiving odorous stimuli can also be damaged by inhaling various toxic substances.
It is for this reason that parosmia sometimes develops in people who work in exposure to various solvents, or in cigarette smokers.
Parosmia: symptoms
The essence of parosmia is that the patient perceives smells very differently than they actually smell. Usually, pleasant aromas, e.g. the smell of a freshly prepared meal or the aroma of flowers, are perceived very unpleasantly and the patient may feel, for example, the smell of rot or burning.
It is not difficult to guess that parosmia can significantly disturb everyday functioning. What's more, it can lead to more and more problems.
It happens that the patient loses weight after parosmia. This can happen when he perceives any really pleasant aromas of meals as extremely unpleasant, which may eventually make him nauseous and result in decreased appetite.
Parosmia: diagnostics
If he suspects he has parosmia, the patient should consult an otolaryngologist. Initially, the specialist will collect an interview regarding the nature of the ailment, but also ask if the patient had any other he alth problems (e.g. respiratory system infections) before its appearance.
Later on, a general ENT examination is performed until specific tests are finally performed to determine the patient's ability to perceive odors properly.
After the patient actually has a confirmed parosmia, the next steps are different. Then, for example, when it is evident that it appeared after an infection, usually no further diagnostics is necessary.
The situation is different, however, when it is impossible to raise even a slight suspicion, which could lead to an olfactory disorder in a given patient.
In such cases, it may become necessary to extend the diagnostics to include, for example, imaging tests (to detectpossible changes in the sinuses or the central nervous system).
Parosmia: treatment
Just as parosmia can definitely cause anxiety in patients with it, it can definitely be reassured by the fact that the problem does not always require any treatment.
This is due to the fact that olfactory cells have the ability to regenerate. Ultimately, most patients who develop parosmia from infection regain their ability to perceive odors over time.
In people who have a problem during chemotherapy or due to smoking, parosmia may disappear after the end of oncological treatment or when the patient gives up the addiction that is harmful to his he alth.
Sometimes, in order to return to the proper perception of odor stimuli, it is necessary to undergo surgical treatment. Such a need may arise, for example, in people who have polyps in the sinuses.
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