Anosmia is losing the sense of smell. The word is also used for people who never had this sense. The loss can be temporary, or permanent. The conditions that cause a temporary loss of this sense include:
Smelling things depends on two nerves (Nervus olfactorius and Nervus trigeminus), as well as the part of the brain which processes the information. Damage to this system will affect the sense of smell; permanent damage may lead to a permanent loss of the sense of smell.
There are tests that can be done to find the cause of the problem.
The sense of smell also affects the sense of taste. People who cannot smell have only the basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.
In general, anosmia which has its cause in the brain cannot be treated. Anosmia which is caused by blocking the nose can be treated by removing the block. In some cases, accupuncture was successfully used to treat anosmia.[5]
Certain medical conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, nutritional deficiencies, congenital conditions, and hormonal disturbances.
↑Doty, RL; Deems, DA; Stellar, S (1988). "Olfactory dysfunction in parkinsonism: A general deficit unrelated to neurologic signs, disease stage, or disease duration". Neurology. 38 (8): 1237–44. doi:10.1212/WNL.38.8.1237. PMID3399075. S2CID3009692.
↑Rupp, Claudia I.; Fleischhacker, W. Wolfgang; Kemmler, Georg; Kremser, Christian; Bilder, Robert M.; Mechtcheriakov, Sergei; Szeszko, Philip R.; Walch, Thomas; Scholtz, Arne W. (2005). "Olfactory functions and volumetric measures of orbitofrontal and limbic regions in schizophrenia". Schizophrenia Research. 74 (2–3): 149–61. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2004.07.010. PMID15721995. S2CID11026266.