Inability to Smell-Anosmia

My younger sister from a very young age has always complained about the inability to smell, we thought it would get better with time but unfortunately, she still cannot smell up till now. There have been different opinions about the reason why she is unable to smell, we even tried medical treatments, and we spent a huge amount of money on medication but nothing still changed.

We became really bothered about the issue at some point, or should I say, I am still really bothered about the issue because I have to help her pick a good choice of perfume since she cannot identify the smell of her own perfume neither would she know when something is burning.

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Over and over again, I have tried to make my research on this topic as I get bothered over my only sister over and over again, have you ever come across someone with a similar condition?
The scientific term to describe my sister's condition is ''Anosmia''.Let's get straight into it friends, shall we?

Anosmia is a term used to describe the complete loss of the sense to smell. This condition may be caused by an infection which could be a cold or flu, it may also be caused by nasal polyps or other forms of blockage. There are other types of smell disorders asides from Anosmia;

Phantosmia This smell disorder makes people perceive things that are not present. The act of perceiving things that are not present is called olfactory hallucination. Some people with this condition, perceive weird smells in just one nostril while others experience the smell in both nostrils, the possibility of the smell fluctuation is also there, and on the other hand, it may simply be a constant thing.

Those with phantosmia have a few common smells;

• They perceive a rotten or spoiled substance.
• Burning rubber.
• Smoking cigarettes.
• Certain chemicals like ammonia.
  The most common pick-up smell, for those with phantosmia, is usually not a pleasant smell, there are a few cases of a reported pleasant smell. The cause of phantosmia is often a result of problems linked with the nose or the mouth and not the brain. Nose-related causes of phantosmia could be; common colds, nasal polyps, sinus infections, allergies, and irritation from smoking. Other types of phantosmia are; migraines, dental problems, upper respiratory infections, exposure to neurotoxins, and effects of radiation treatment.

There are other causes of phantosmia, that are less common, the conditions associated with the condition have to be treated as quickly as possible; stroke, head injury, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Without proper tests, however, do not be quick to conclude that, you have phantosmia, this is basically because the feeling may come from one of these occurrences.

• New laundry detergent.
• New cosmetics product.
• Dirty air vents in the home or workspace.
• A new mattress or bedding.

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The fact that phantosmia could be a result of a serious neurological condition, symptoms that last for more than two days should attract instant medical attention. 1

Parosomia: This term is used to describe a certain distortion in small, with this condition, it becomes impossible to properly detect a full range of scents present around you. There are times when normal everyday smell would give a strong, disagreeable odor. Parosmia comes with a feeling of illness especially when the brain captures some type of unpleasant scents. The condition can be triggered by these conditions;

• Head injury.
• Viral or bacterial infection.
• Cancer treatment.
• Exposure to chemicals.

Hyposmia: This is when there is a complete or partial loss of all senses of smell. Possible causes of hyposmia include;

• Injury to the head.
• Smoking.
• Dental problems.
• Serious sinus condition.
• Hormonal imbalance
• Infections etc. 2

After analyzing the other types of smell disorders that exist, I will like to go back to the major smell disorder we started with at the end of this post since it is the type affecting my sweet baby sister after all.

Temporary anosmia can affect anyone regardless of age, but a permanent loss of smell sense is more common in adults who are over 50 years of age. Congenital anosmia is a rare case, people are born with the condition, in this case, it is so rare that it affects one among 10,000 people (unfortunately, my sister is one out of the 10,000 persons). Ansomia in itself is not a dangerous condition, but it can cause certain problems, inability to detect smoke, gas leakage, spoiled food, and bad odor, which could impair the standard of living.

• Inherited anosmia: Those with inherited anosmia have it from birth, scientists are however still carrying out more research as regards the genetic basis for this condition.

• Age factor: There are people who lose their sense of smell as they advance in age, sometimes, they also find it difficult to differentiate different types of smell that exists.

• Chronic sinonasal disease: Conductive or neurosensorial are the two types of chronic sinonasal disease that exist. The conductive sinonasal disease affects the airflow, like the;
  nasal polyps, septal deviation, sinonasal tumors, hay fever, or allergic rhinitis.

Upper respiratory infections lead to a large amount of neurosensorial olfactory loss. Tumors in the body can also cause neurosensorial anemia.
Certain toxins in the body could contribute to the effect of anosmia, some of those toxins are; toxic vapor, tobacco, and illicit drugs.

• Neurodegenerative diseases are diseases that could cause anosmia, some of the diseases are;
  *Parkinson's disease.
  *Alzheimer's disease.
• Huntington's disease.
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 3

Treatment for Anosmia .

Not all cases of anosmia can be treated if the case of parasomnia is caused by an environmental factor, or if it is caused by either medication, cancer treatments, or smoking, once these symptoms are removed, the sense of smell would get back to normal.

In some cases too, surgery is required to solve the issue of parosmia. Nasal obstructions like polyps or tumors may have to be removed. Parosmia could be treated with; Vitamin A, Antibiotics, and Zinc.

If anosmia is affecting your weight and appetite, olfactory training therapy also known as smell training would be a safe option. The therapy process is usually done twice daily for several months. 4

Unfortunately, there is no cure for congenital anosmia, probably in the nearest future, there may be a solution, but for now, there is no solution. 5

Conclusion.

My sister use to get really bothered about the condition when she was much younger, she loves to spend time in the kitchen, but she wouldn't know if the food she is preparing has a nice aroma or not, she wouldn't know as well if the food is burning except she gets there. Gratefully, she is a very smart girl who has other senses working well, before we discovered there was no clear treatment for the condition, I have personally taken her to places where we were promised treatment, but it was all a waste of time.

Living with any form of smell disorder is certainly not a death sentence. If you suddenly notice a sudden inability to smell, visit a doctor instantly, and if you have congenital anosmia, you can still live fine with it, you must have to be more alert with other senses, my sister is living proof that this condition would not impair your quality of life in any way.

For Further Studies.

healthline.com

medicalnewstoday.com

medicalnewstoday.com/anosmia

healthline.com/parosmia

rarediseases.org.

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Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my podcast channel Here and I also have a youtube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free, do not forget to subscribe and share with friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from members of the community and do well to keep them coming.