Anosmia - causes, treatment of loss of smell

Causes and treatment of anosmia (loss of smell)

Loss of smell can be an independent disease or a symptom of other pathologies. Therefore, doctors claim that the causes and treatment of anosmia - this is how the problem is classified in medicine - should "go" side by side. The choice of treatment scheme will depend on what caused the loss of smell.

Causes of loss of smell

The condition can be provoked by:

1. Irregular structure of the nose and sinuses can be congenital or acquired. In the first case, we are talking about the fact that a person is already born with a similar problem, and does not distinguish aromas from birth. Acquired disorders of the structure of the nose are the consequences of injuries, and in this case the sense of smell is lost immediately after the appearance of the pathology.
Diseases of the nose are chronic and acute. In this case, they are talking about temporary problems - for example, the loss of smell during a cold does not require specific treatment and recovers on its own.
2. Head injuries. If there was a serious craniocerebral injury, then the nerve fibers can be damaged by the bones of the skull (their fragments). Most often, the problem arises when the occipital, temporal and ethmoid bones are damaged.
3. Tumors of the brain, nose and sinuses are benign or malignant. The peculiarity of such anosmia is its slow development. The patient may not pay attention to an already progressing problem for a long time.
4. Smoking. Tobacco smoke, as well as toxins in it and resins irritate the mucous membrane of the nose and sinuses. With long-term smoking, combined anosmia can develop - a simultaneous loss of taste and smell.

Intoxication can affect the intensity and level of smell. If the body is constantly affected by benzene and cadmium, the development of anosmia is inevitable over time. This can happen against the background of specific working conditions.

Treatment of anosmia

Treatment of loss of smell should begin with an examination by a doctor. It is necessary to find out the cause of this condition and choose a treatment method:

1. Surgical intervention for abnormal structure of the nose and its sinuses. The problem is that the operation must be done in early childhood (maximum 4 years), and doctors are categorically against interventions in the structure of the face until the growth of a person stops. Even if the operation was carried out, a full recovery cannot be achieved.
2. Recovery and treatment of the main pathology in case of nose, face and head injuries. If the nerve fibers were not damaged, the sense of smell returns after the end of the main therapy. It happens gradually, and full rehabilitation ends no earlier than in 3 months.
3. Colds, chronic sinusitis, sinusitis and rhinitis are factors that provoke a temporary loss of smell. How to cure anosmia in such a case, the doctor will explain. Most likely, these will be recommendations for the use of anti-inflammatory drops in the nose, folk remedies.

The degree of restoration of smell directly depends on which centers are affected. If the peripheral variant (nerve fibers are not damaged), then the chances of regaining the lost ability to perceive and distinguish smells are very high.

On our website Dobrobut. where you can make an appointment with an ENT doctor, who will advise and tell you what to do in case of loss of smell in a specific case.