There is an olfactory area in the nose with millions of nerve endings and receptors, especially in the upper posterior region. At the same time, similar structures in different areas in the nose together with the olfactory area form the nasal stage of smelling. The second stage of olfaction consists of the complex coordination between the bulb in the brainstem and the cortex, the outer layer of the brain.
If your sense of smell does not improve within a few weeks, consult your doctor. The treatment of smell disorders can be provided by treating the main cause. Sometimes the loss of smell may not be restored. Smell cells renew themselves in 20 to 60 days. In some cases, this may take up to 6 months.
Treatment for loss of smell varies depending on the cause. There are situations that can be corrected surgically and there are situations where medical treatment is used in addition to surgery or alone. Providing treatment for the underlying disease can also improve the sense of smell.
Odor disorders are classified according to the way the sense of smell is perceived or not:
- Anosmia: The inability to smell.
- Hyposmia: Impaired sense of smell.
- Hyperosmia: Increased sensitivity to odors.
- Dysosmia: Difficulty in smelling and misperception of smell.
- Cacosmia: Persistent bad perception of odor.
- Parosmia: Perception of the opposite of odor and qualitative changes in odor.
- Phantasmia: olfactory hallucinations.
- Heterosmia: Difficulty distinguishing between different odors.
- Agnosia: Error in identification despite smell.
The most common causes of olfactory disorders:
- Nose and sinus diseases
- Rhinosinusitis: Odor transmission is disrupted due to inflammation and the receptor neuron relationship is disrupted.
- Rhinitis: Odor transmission is disrupted due to inflammation and the receptor neuron relationship is disrupted.
- Nasal polyp: The transport of odor is impaired. Loss of smell can sometimes be corrected. It shows a wavy course.
- Adenoid hypertrophy: Since the airflow in the nose is restricted, the smell mechanism is disrupted. It improves after surgical treatment.
- Upper respiratory tract infections: Viral infections are the most common causes of permanent loss of smell. Loss of smell can be permanent, especially in elderly patients. Loss of smell can continue for a long time.
- Head trauma
- Frontal bone fractures
- occupational injury
- nose fractures
- Cigarette
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Alzheimer’s
- Parkinson’s
- Multiple sclerosis
- Age: As the nasal mucosa becomes thinner in advanced ages, the number of olfactory receptors may decrease.
- Medicines
- Cocaine use: Inhaling cocaine through the nose causes the olfactory receptors to fail.
- Toxic chemicals: Toxic chemicals cause damage and loss of olfactory receptors and neurons. In the mucosa, the glands enlarge, inflammation develops and degeneration occurs. It can also cause necrosis from time to time.
- Benzene
- Benzol
- Butyl acetate
- Carbon disulfide
- Chlorine
- Ethyl acetate
- Formaldehyde
- Hydrogen selenite
- Paint solvents
- Sulfuric acid
- Trichloroethylene
- Industrial agents
- Ash
- Cadmium
- limestone
- Chromium
- Iron
- carbacilli
- Bullet
- Nickel
- Silicon dioxide
- Nutritional factors
- Vitamin deficiency (A, B6, B12)
- Lack of trace metals (Copper, Zinc)
- Malnutrition
- Chronic renal failure
- Liver diseases (cirrhosis, etc.)
- Cancers
- HIV disease
- Radiation applications
- Congenital disorders
- Congenital anosmia
- Kallmann syndrome
- Brain tumors
- Osteoma
- Cribriform plate meningioma
- Temporal lobe tumor
- Pituitary aneurysm
- Esthesioneuroblastoma
- Metastatic squamous cell carcinoma
- Psychiatric pathologies
- Malingering
- Schizophrenia
- Depression
- Olfactory reference syndrome
- Epilepsy (Gustatory aura period)
- Migraine (period of gustatory aura)
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Endocrine disorders
- Adrenocortical insufficiency
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Diabetes
- Hypothyroidism
- Primary amenorrhea
- Kallmann syndrome
- Turner syndrome
- Pregnancy
- Cerebrovascular traumas
- Systemic lupus erythematosus