Can you recover your sense of smell? Learn these techniques

Of the five classic senses – hearing, taste, smell, touch and sight – we have probably never placed more importance on the ability to smell than when many of us lost it due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. And it is that anosmia or loss of smell was one of the signs that warned of a possible contagion to many people who did not present any other symptoms of covid-19.

In fact, many of those affected by covid persistent They have not managed to recover their sense of smell months later to pass the infection. World Anosmia Day was celebrated on February 27, and we took the opportunity to analyze what it consists of, its causes and consequences, and what solutions exist to recover our sense of smell.

“anosmia is the term that defines the total loss of the sense of smell, when the patient smells absolutely nothing, since if it is a partial loss it is known as hyposmia”, explains Dr. Adriana Izquierdo, coordinator of the Smell Unit at the Hospital de Terrassa.

Other olfactory alterations from which it should be differentiated are the cacosmiain which perceives an unpleasant odor due to stimuli that are triggered in the body without the presence of odorous molecules in the environment, parosmia, which is characterized by an olfactory distortion that turns normal odors into pestilential ones, and phantomy, or perception of an unpleasant odor that is not real (its name due to its association with phantom odors). .

exist multiple causes that can cause a total loss of smell, says Dr. Izquierdo, who is also a specialist in allergology. “The most frequent are post viral -as we have learned with the covid-19 pandemic-, inflammations in the nasal passages, such as nasal polyposis or allergic rhinitis, head injuries and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, certain dementias… This encompasses between 70 and 80% of causes of anosmia, and another percentage that would be around 20% would be congenital – being born without certain smell structures –due to exposure to certain drugs or toxins, or due to brain tumors”.

The reasons why we lose our sense of smell are:

– Respiratory system infectionssuch as a cold, the flu or covid-19 can cause a temporary loss of the sense of smell.

– Aging: 20-30% of those over 65 years of age present an olfactory dysfunction, which can affect 75% of those over 80 years of age, according to the SEORL-CCC.

– Medications (antihistamines, antibiotics, estrogens…).

– Nasal polyps or deviations of the nasal septum.

– Neurodegenerative diseases: dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s…

– Exposure to air pollution

– Inhalation of toxic chemical substances, such as benzene, paint thinners, or insecticides, among others.

– Drug use, such as cocaine.

Lack of smell too prevents us from identifying threats (open gas, fires…) and, for example, we can suffer food poisoning from eating food in poor condition because we are not able to perceive the bad smell they give off, or not feel like eating because we do not appreciate the taste of the food, which which can lead to malnutrition and unwanted weight loss.

Anosmia can be reversed in many cases and its treatment It depends on the cause for which the sense of smell has been lost.. “If the cause is inflammation, for example, due to nasal polyposis or allergic rhinitis, there are anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce inflammation of the nasal mucosa and for the patient to recover the stimulus of odorants. If the cause is a virus, apart from treating the viral infection, olfactory training is indicated: training the sense of smell to regain olfactory memory and recover sense of smell”.

The treatment with the best results has been olfactory rehabilitation for between six and 12 months, according to SEORL-CCC, which adds that it is a non-invasive therapy and especially recommended for the recovery of smell after a viral infection.

They explain that otolaryngologists follow standard guidelines for the rehabilitation of smell, which consists of performing two Exposure exercises to four odorants: fruity, minty, aromatic and floral, and that other varieties of scents and concentrations have been added to these. The aromas most used in case of anosmia are usually lemon, cloves, mint and rose.