What are the causes of loss of smell?

The nose is not only used for breathing, but also a very important olfactory organ in the human body. If there is a problem with the sense of smell, it will seriously affect the patient's quality of life, and it is also not conducive to the patient's physical and mental health. There are many reasons for the loss of smell in the nose, including nasal lesions and rhinitis, sinusitis and nasal polyps, etc. So what are the reasons for the loss of smell in the nose?

First, what are the reasons for losing the sense of smell? Most people's insensitivity to smell is caused by nasal diseases, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal polyps, nasal tumors, etc. As the saying goes, if you don't treat a minor illness, a major illness will be difficult to cure. Don't take minor illnesses lightly! If you suddenly lose the ability to sense smells, you should go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. It is likely that a tumor in the brain has damaged the olfactory nerves. Neurological diseases or mental illnesses caused by endocrine disorders or brain inflammation can also lead to loss of smell and even "hallucination smells", where one smells smells that do not exist at all.

Second, long-term exposure to chemical raw materials or harmful gases can cause loss of smell and even damage organs such as the nasal mucosa, respiratory tract, and lungs, seriously damaging your health. Of course, if you are particularly sensitive to smells, that is not normal. It is very likely that it is olfactory neuritis or olfactory hypersensitivity caused by neurosis.

Third, among all the abnormalities of smell, the most common is anosmia, and its causes are roughly as follows: ⑴ The smell cannot reach the olfactory mucosa: Many people have this experience. When a severe cold causes nasal congestion, they will lose their sense of smell. In fact, the olfactory nerve itself functions normally at this time, but because the nose is blocked, air cannot enter the olfactory area, and the substances in the air cannot dissolve in the mucosal secretions of the olfactory area, so no chemical changes occur and of course the olfactory nerve endings cannot be stimulated. In addition to severe colds, severe nasal congestion caused by sinusitis, chronic hypertrophic rhinitis, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum, nasal cancer, etc. can cause anosmia. ⑵ The olfactory nerves that sense odors are abnormal: Some people may have this experience: when they have a cold, their sense of smell is reduced due to nasal congestion, but the cold has been cured, but the sense of smell has not recovered. In fact, this is because when you have a cold, the cold virus has affected the olfactory nerve, causing inflammation of the olfactory nerve, which loses its normal function and makes it impossible to sense smells. In addition, in some cases, the sense of smell is paralyzed by inhalation of irritating gases such as acetylene or diluents, or the sense of smell is abnormal due to aging and decline of body functions.

What are the reasons for losing the sense of smell? There are obstacles in the brain nerves that receive odor information: the reasons are caused by brain trauma, tumors, or mental illness, etc. There are also some cases of abnormal smell caused by unknown reasons: such as depression, mental illness, etc., which may cause this kind of olfactory disorder. So in your current situation, you can go to the hospital for a nasal endoscopy examination to find out the cause and then receive symptomatic treatment.