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Smell Perception/Anosmia/Parosmia
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Anosmia is the complete loss of smell. Nasal congestion is a common cause of temporary anosmia. Loss of smell from nasal polyps, sinusitis, upper respiratory tract infection, or fractures is due to intranasal swelling or other obstruction that prevents odors from gaining access to the olfactory area. Neurologic causes include head trauma and viral infections, as well as aging or Alzheimer's. A number of other conditions can cause anosmia as well. Parosmia, or dysosmia, describes a distortion or perversion of the sense of smell. What typically happens is that natural and pleasant odors are perceived as offensive and disgusting. Additional causes can include Alzheimer's, Huntington's, or Parkinson's, and olfactory damage from head injury, bacterial or viral infection, toxic chemicals, radiation, or chemotherapy, etc. Neurologists have used sodium valproate, gabapentin, and pregabalin to treat parosmia for decades with good results.1
Chemosensory Disorders and Nutrition
Published in Alan R. Hirsch, Nutrition and Sensation, 2023
Carl M. Wahlstrom, Alan R. Hirsch, Bradley W. Whitman
The most common cause of smell loss in the United States is precipitated by aging itself (Kalogiera and Dzepina 2012). However, by miraculous juvenescence of a “Ponce de Leon and his Fountain of Youth,” the march of time with the vicissitudes of aging proceeds unabated. Over time, olfactory ability vitiates. Clinically declining olfactory function can be demonstrated starting at the age of 36 years (Hawkes, Fogo, and Shah 2005). Odor sensitivity, in terms of both absolute threshold and odor identification, is reduced with age. Twenty-five percent of those over the age of 75 years are anosmic. These effects of aging parallel those found in other senses (see Table 2.1).
Oral Nutritional Supplements and Appetite Stimulation Therapy
Published in Michael M. Rothkopf, Jennifer C. Johnson, Optimizing Metabolic Status for the Hospitalized Patient, 2023
Michael M. Rothkopf, Jennifer C. Johnson
Altered olfaction is reported to occur in 12.4% of adults over age 40 (Hoffman et al. 2016). This can be the result of viral or allergic rhinitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, head trauma and other conditions. It is particularly common in degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (see Table 16.3; Ackerman and Kasbekar 1997). The recent experience with the pandemic virus, COVID-19, cited loss of smell as a prominent symptom. The alteration in olfaction can be expected to diminish the desire and pleasure of eating food, leading to under-eating.
Spontaneous recovery of anosmia after 2.5 years in a young COVID-19 patient
Published in European Clinical Respiratory Journal, 2023
Erfan Ghadirzadeh, Lotfollah Davoodi, Fatemeh Khazaei, Amirmasoud Taheri
To the Editor: It has been 3 years since the world was confronted with a new challenge: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [1]. COVID-19 typically manifests with respiratory symptoms, such as dry cough and dyspnea; however, it is not unusual for other organ signs and symptoms to appear [2]. A 2020 meta-analysis found that 53% of COVID-19 patients suffer from taste and smell impairments [3]. Anosmia, the loss of the sense of smell, is one of them and is regarded both as a symptom and as a complication of COVID-19, which may remain even after the patient is no longer infected [3]. Sixty to seventy percent of patients recover from this disorder within 4 weeks after having COVID-19, either entirely or partially [2]. Seventy-eight percent of patients recover their sense of smell entirely after 2 months, while 95% do so after 6 months [2,3]. Nonetheless, some people may endure anosmia for more than a year. These patients undergo numerous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures but do not heal completely [4]. Several therapy approaches might be pursued when anosmia persists for longer than 2 weeks [4]. Current options for treatment include intranasal corticosteroids, sodium citrate, and olfactory exercises [2]. Some patients do not respond to these treatments and have permanent olfactory loss. These patients may be candidates for other experimental therapies, such as stem cell therapy [2].
Analyses on the influence of normal nasal morphological variations on odorant transport to the olfactory cleft
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2022
Ryan M. Sicard, Reanna Shah, Dennis O. Frank-Ito
Olfaction is the sensation arising from the nasal cavity following stimulation of the olfactory receptors by odorant molecules. Olfactory dysfunction is characterized by reduced or absent sense of smell, ranging from hyposmia to anosmia (Guss et al. 2009). While olfactory perception is effective when the combination of sensorineural components and conductive factors function properly, the role of conductive factors (respiratory effort and nasal anatomical structure) in olfaction has been given less attention. The nasal cavity plays an essential role in odor perception, which consists of the transportation of volatile chemical molecules via airflow to the olfactory receptors (Zhao et al. 2004). In order to completely understand human olfaction, it is crucial to gain knowledge of the airflow patterns in the human nasal cavity and quantify the transport of odorant-laden air to the olfactory region.
Potential neurological manifestations of COVID-19: a narrative review
Published in Postgraduate Medicine, 2022
Joseph V. Pergolizzi, Robert B. Raffa, Giustino Varrassi, Peter Magnusson, Jo Ann LeQuang, Antonella Paladini, Robert Taylor, Charles Wollmuth, Frank Breve, Maninder Chopra, Rohit Nalamasu, Paul J. Christo
Neurological symptoms have been sporadically reported in COVID-19 patients but have not yet been well studied [48,49]. The current body of evidence suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 can affect the nervous system in previously unsuspected ways [50]. The neuroinvasive capabilities of the SARS-CoV-2 doubtless exist but remain to be elucidated. Observed neurological symptoms of COVID-19 include febrile seizures, convulsions, mental status changes, and encephalitis [51]. Among the most commonly reported possibly neurological symptoms of COVID-19 are nonspecific symptoms, such as headache, myalgia, dizziness, and fatigue [21]. In a study at a single center in China (n = 214), 36.4% (n = 78) of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had what were identified as neurological symptoms[52]. In a multicenter retrospective study from Europe of 417 patients who recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19, 86% reported olfactory dysfunction and 88% problems with taste. In fact, in 12% of patients, the loss of the sense of smell was the first symptom of COVID-19 [53]. The loss of smell has emerged as being more prevalent among patients infected with COVID-19 than patients infected with other viruses or with other types of respiratory conditions [54] and has been recommended as a symptom that may help guide earlier diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 [55]. In a meta-analysis (n = 1,627 patients, 10 studies), a loss of the sense of smell was reported in 53% of COVID-19 patients [55].