Table of contents:
- Recognizing hyposmia, when the nose is hard to smell anything
- Cause some people have trouble smelling the smell
- 1. Age
- 2. Allergies and infections
- 3. Nasal polyps
- 4. Consumption of certain drugs
- 5. Head injury
- 6. Certain diseases
- How to treat hyposmia?
Some people or maybe you also tend to have a sharper sense of smell, so they are more sensitive to smells. However, there are some other people who experience the opposite, namely it is difficult to smell whatever is around them. In medical terms, this is called hyposmia. So, what causes hyposmia? Check out the following information, yes.
Recognizing hyposmia, when the nose is hard to smell anything
The objects around you will release certain odor molecules which are then picked up by the nerve cells in your nose. These nerve cells then send special signals to the brain. It is the brain that will recognize the smells you smell.
That's why people with normal sense of smell should be able to breathe in the various aromas around them. Whether it's the smell of food, the bad smell of garbage, the strong smell of chemicals, and other types of odors.
Hyposmia is the partial loss of the ability of the sense of smell to perceive smells. The decreased ability to smell doesn't mean you have nose problems, you know. However, this can also be a result of disorders of the brain and nervous system of the body, especially the olfactory nerve. As a result, your sense of smell is less sensitive to the smell.
Cause some people have trouble smelling the smell
If you could smell good or bad smell easily before, this change will certainly make you uncomfortable. It becomes difficult for you to smell food that is appetizing, so that your appetite also decreases.
Hyposmia is generally caused due to decreased nerve function in the nose, but this can also be due to other medical problems that need to be watched out for. Various reasons for someone having trouble smelling are:
1. Age
Age is the most common cause of hyposmia. According to the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the ability to smell becomes very sensitive when you are 30 and 60 years old, as reported by Medical News Today.
Over this age, your sense of smell will gradually decline and make it difficult for you to smell the various smells. In fact, about 39 percent of people aged 80 years and over tend to experience hyposmia.
2. Allergies and infections
People who have allergies or infectious diseases such as flu and colds tend to be less sensitive to smells. But calm down first, this will usually return to normal soon after you take cold medicine and recover.
Chronic sinuses can have the same effect. The reason is, when the cavity around the nasal passages (sinuses) is inflamed and swollen for more than 12 weeks, the inflammation that occurs can damage certain cells that allow a person to smell. That's why people with chronic sinus tend to have a hard time smelling certain scents.
3. Nasal polyps
The flesh that grows in the nose, aka nasal polyps, can be the cause of your hyposmia. Most of the people who have it don't feel any symptoms and signs. However, you can detect one of them by decreasing the ability to smell around you.
4. Consumption of certain drugs
If you feel that you are no longer sensitive to smell, try to pay attention to the type of medicine you are taking. Yes, certain types of drugs can make your sense of smell less sensitive. Example:
- Antibiotics, such as ampicillin and tetracycline
- Antidepressants, such as amitriptyline
- Antihistamines, such as loratadine
5. Head injury
Head injuries not only provide side effects of dizziness and headaches, but can also make you experience hyposmia. This can affect the nasal nervous system and interfere with the sense of smell, although it tends to be neither permanent nor dangerous.
6. Certain diseases
A troubled nerve condition can cause the nose to lose its ability to smell. This can be caused by several diseases which include:
- Parkinson's disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Alzheimer's disease
- Obesity
- Type 1 diabetes
- Hypertension
- Malnutrition
Multiple sclerosis, for example, is often associated with hyposmia. A study found that there are 40 percent of people with multiple sclerosis experience a partial loss of their sense of smell. The greater the level of disability due to multiple sclerosis, the more difficult it is for a person to smell the scent around him.
Whereas in diabetics, several studies have found that people with type 1 diabetes tend to have difficulty distinguishing the smell that is inhaled. This is caused by nerve damage to peripheral neuropathy, so that the sense of smell becomes problematic.
How to treat hyposmia?
Treatment of hyposmia varies, depending on the cause itself. If hyposmia is caused by an allergic or flu reaction, then you really don't need special treatment because you will return to normal by taking cold medicine or other antihistamines.
However, if hyposmia is caused by several chronic diseases that have been mentioned, then the treatment is adjusted again according to the type of disease. Your sense of smell will usually improve again after starting treatment.
