Top 11 Common Causes Of Loss Of Smell

common causes of loss of smell

Loss of smell is also known as anosmia. It is the medical term for a full loss of your sense of smell. It may be permanent or temporary. While your taste can not be affected, it impacts on the awareness of flavors. Furthermore, there are three main types of loss of smell. The first type is parosmia that is the sensation of the smell in spite of the absence of the appropriate stimuli. The second type is called dysosmia that is when your sense of smell is deformed. The last type of loss of smell is called cacosmia that is the sensation of a foul odor or a bad smell.

Just like other diseases, there are some reasons causing this problem. Do you want to know what the causes of loss of smell are? Now let’s continue reading this article on our page VKool.com which will show you some common causes of loss of smell

Top 11 Common Causes Of Loss Of Smell

I. Nasal – Sinus Disease

In the list of the common causes of loss of smell, the first big common cause of loss of smell is the nasal – sinus disease. The examples of the nasal – sinus disease consist of allergic rhinitis, which may lead to the inflammation of nasal cavity, chronic sinus infections, which are fungal or bacterial in nature, as well as nasal polyps.

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1. Allergic Rhinitis

causes of loss of smell - allergic rhinitis

Why is allergic rhinitis which is also known as allergic or hay fever listed as one of the common causes of loss of smell? As you can see, it is an allergic reaction to the dander, mites, airborne pollen as well as other irritants. Then it may lead to sneezing, runny nose and smell deficiency.

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2. Chronic Sinus Infection

Chronic sinus infections are also known as chronic rhinosinusitis. It may cause nasal obstruction. That means it may make you feel difficult to breathe through the nose. Then it reduces the sense of smell as well as taste in adults. That’s why it is considered as one of the common causes of loss of smell.

3. Nasal Polyps

causes of loss of smell - nasal polyps

Another reason which is mentioned as one of the common causes of loss of smell is the nasal polyps. They are small noncancerous development in your nose and sinuses. That may block your nasal passage. As a result, it causes anosmia.

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II. Every Day Causes Of Loss Of Smell

Not only the nasal – sinus diseases, loss of smell can be caused by some everyday factors.

1. Smoking

causes of loss of smell - smoking

As you can see, smoking is very harmful to our health. In other words, it means you use tobacco, marijuana or something that contain narcotic drugs. You will suffer from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Or in other simple words, when you smoke, it may make you feel difficult to breathe because it can narrow your airways. Sometimes, you may suffer from coughing, wheezing, along with sputum production. As a result, it will lead to some disorders, including loss of smell.

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2. Common Cold

If you wonder to know the causes of loss of smell, the common cold is also one of them. As you can see in the cold weather, as your nasal passages get blocked, it may result in the individual to lose your sense of smell on the temporary basis. However, the common cold will go away in only one week. Then when your blocked passages are relieved, you may get back your sense of smell soon.

3. Adaptation

It’s very strange when adaptation is also mentioned as one of the common causes of loss of smell. It is experienced as soon as your olfactory cells are overflown into saturation point with the particular odor molecules.

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III. The Different Causes Of Loss Of Smell

As you know, anosmia means the loss of your sense of smell; meanwhile, hyposmia means the decreased smell sensitivity. Therefore, in order to measure the degree of the loss of smell, it is very difficult to do because the experience of the smell is subjective. In addition, unlike the other senses, there isn’t any diagnostic test which is able to judge the smell sensitivity with the objective accuracy.

1. Chemicals

causes of loss of smell - chemicals

In the list of the causes of loss of smell, chemicals are one of the main factors. Why is it said like that? Your olfactory receptor cells can receive the constant barrage from the atmosphere with every breath which you take. It means that you can be exposed to bacteria, viruses, dust and so on; particularly the environmental chemicals from smoke and toxic gas and industrial chemicals including organic and inorganic compounds, acids and heavy metals. These things may damage your actual receptor. As a result, it may cause the anosmia as well as other conditions and diseases.

2. Drugs

Another factor which is listed as one of the common causes of loss of smell as well is the drugs. Loss of smell is considered as the side effect when you take the overdose of these drugs. They include stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines; depressants such as morphine and some antibiotics as well as the different drugs which include the vasoconstrictors in nasal sprays. Besides that, the radiation therapy can result in the damage of your olfactory epithelium.

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3. Age

causes of loss of smell - age

If you are looking for the common causes of loss of smell, age is also one of them. Just like hearing, when you become older, you may lose your sense of smell. In general, a lot of people, who are after the age of seventy, start to reduce the sense of smell.

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4. Head Trauma

When talking about the common causes of loss of smell, head trauma is also mentioned as well. According to a report, about 20 to 30 percent of patients who have head trauma have some kinds of the problems with the smell, including loss of smell. Cutting or crushing of your olfactory nerve fibers in which they go through the diminutive openings in your cribriform plate is thought to become the basis underlying factor that is responsible for anosmia.

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5. The Nervous System Diseases

Some conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, migraine, Korsakoff syndrome, multiple sclerosis, brain lesions, brain tumors as well as epilepsy and so on are the common causes of loss of smell as well. As mentioned above, the olfactory system is one part of the nervous system which is related to your sense of smell. And these conditions which have already been mentioned above may damage your brain. As a result, it makes your olfactory system become weak and then leads to anosmia.

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In conclusion, it is a few common causes of loss of smell. After you read this article, we all hope that your knowledge about this disease is broadened. However, this article is only for the informative purpose. If you concern about the reasons why you are suffering from loss of smell, you ought to go to the hospital in order to ask the doctor for his or her advice. Furthermore, this disease can be treated easily. If you want to know the treatments for loss of smell or know more information about other conditions, you ought to spend a little time on visiting our main page Health. If you have any questions or you know more reasons which may cause loss of smell, please do not hesitate to leave us a comment or a message below. We promise we will respond your comment as well as your message as soon as we can.

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