Reporter Cai Tingyu / comprehensive report
Don’t ignore your sense of smell! If you don’t smell the smell for too long, you may lose your sense of smell for the rest of your life. A male college student in his 20s said that he worked in a fast-food restaurant, but he gradually discovered that the seasoning became strange, but he mightn’t smell it well. After a preliminary nasal examination, no abnormalities were found. Then he said that because he was in a car accident while riding a bicycle, he went to a large hospital for examination and found that the male college student had a concussion, which caused the olfactory nerve to be torn, and he lost his sense of smell.
A male college student suffered a brain concussion in a car accident and the olfactory nerve was torn off, causing him to lose his sense of smell. (Schematic / photoAC)
Chen Liangyu, an otolaryngologistpost on facebookSharing, a male college student in his 20s came to the clinic and described that he worked in a fast-food restaurant, but the seasoning of the dishes served two days ago began to become very strange, but he might not smell it well. After the initial nasal examination , no abnormalities were found. He went on to say that he was riding a bicycle with his classmates to see the night scene a while ago, and there was a car accident on the way, and he seemed to have hit his head, but because he was wearing a helmet, he didn’t feel any special pain, so he just went to the emergency room and went home following applying the medicine. At this time, Dr. Chen Liangyu said that he might not help but sound an alarm in his heart, and asked him to go to a big hospital for examination. Sure enough, the boy who loves cooking was torn off due to a concussion and lost his sense of smell.
Why is the sense of smell abnormal?
Dr. Chen Liangyu explained that we need to be able to smell smells smoothly, mainly relying on the olfactory nerves located in the superior turbinate and nasal septum, which are the first pair of cranial nerves in the brain. When odor molecules enter through the nostrils, they will combine with the olfactory nerve receptors and be transmitted to the “olfactory bulb”, and then transmitted to the olfactory center of the frontal lobe of the brain through the olfactory bulb, helping to recognize, identify or remember odors. Therefore, if the sense of smell declines, loses, or smells something that others cannot smell, it is nothing more than the damage of the olfactory nerve or the blockage of the olfactory pathway, including:
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When you have a cold or a tumor (such as benign nasal polyps or malignant tumors), the odor molecules will not be able to reach the distribution of the olfactory nerve, and you will not be able to smell the smell. When the mucous membranes are swollen due to allergies, the smell may not be smelled temporarily.
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There is a problem with the olfactory nerve receptor
Dr. Chen Liangyu said that although the odor molecules can be inhaled and transmitted to the brain, it should smell fragrant, but following being transmitted to the brain, the patient feels that it has become a stinky smell. If there is a tumor in the brain, there may be misinterpretation of the information following it is transmitted to the brain, resulting in confusion in the sense of smell. Patients with head and neck cancer may also experience changes such as decreased or partial loss of smell following radiation therapy.
If there is a tumor in the brain, there may be misinterpretation of the information following it is transmitted to the brain, resulting in confusion in the sense of smell. (Schematic / photoAC)
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When the olfactory pathway is blocked:
If the olfactory nerve is torn or infected and loses its function, the odor cannot be transmitted to the brain and the sense of smell is lost. -
Poor discrimination of olfactory receptors:
Some early brain atrophy or aging may also manifest itself in the sense of smell. -
Metabolic diseases cause:
For example, endocrine problems will cause receptors to generate chaotic signals following receiving gas molecules; diabetics with poor blood sugar control are prone to peripheral neuropathy. In addition to numbness in hands and feet, ears, eyes and sense of smell will also be impaired. -
Congenital developmental defects, such as Kallmann syndrome due to genetic defects.
Virus destroys olfactory nerve, may lose sense of smell forever
Dr. Chen Liangyu further explained that due to symptoms such as cold nasal congestion and excessive nasal discharge, gas molecules cannot be transmitted to the olfactory nerve, which is the most common cause of loss of smell. However, as the cold recovers, the olfactory nerve usually returns to normal. However, if the olfactory nerve is damaged by a viral infection, there may be a permanent partial or complete loss of the sense of smell. And this is not uncommon in clinical practice. In the past, some patients had a cold with symptoms of sudden loss of smell. Later, the cold recovered but they still had no sense of smell. After a few months, they waited to see the doctor because the time was delayed It is too long. Although the inside of the nasal cavity is completely normal, the olfactory nerve has lost its function forever.
Therefore, when the cold improves but the sense of smell has not recovered, it must not be careless. If you can see a doctor in time, through steroid drug treatment, combined with vitamin B, C or folic acid supplementation, there may be a possibility of recovery.
In addition, Dr. Chen Liangyu said that if the male college student in the case is mechanically pulled by violent shaking or impact, causing neuron damage or tearing off the already fragile olfactory nerve, it is often more difficult. It is difficult to return to the previous state.
The cold has improved, but the sense of smell has not recovered. You must not be careless. (Schematic / photoAC)
Nose can’t smell, how to treat?
Dr. Chen Liangyu suggested that if the sense of smell is being treated, it must be treated individually according to the cause. For example, if the olfactory pathway is blocked, it can be solved by removing polyps or tumors; if it is caused by a cold, drink plenty of water and rinse the nasal cavity properly; if it is suspected to be Hypothyroidism is caused by a blood test and treatment can also restore the sense of smell. If the cause of the disease is from a viral infection, high doses of steroids are usually prescribed to treat the neuroinflammation.
Dr. Chen Liangyu reminded that when the sense of smell is abnormal, it is especially important to have a detailed examination by a professional physician to make a correct differential diagnosis. Take sinusitis as an example. If the sinusitis is caused by fungal or bacterial infection, the patient will continue to smell rancid when there is suppuration. Antibiotics or surgery may be required. If steroids are misused, the immunity may be weakened and the symptoms will be more serious. Therefore, fungal sinusitis should be ruled out first. For olfactory nerve damage, it was difficult to treat in the past, but now olfactory training has been gradually developed to help stimulate the olfactory nerve. Some studies have shown that training patients to smell different smells every day can help activate the nerves and brain, which is good for improving and restoring the sense of smell.
Finally, Chen Liangyu further reminded that in clinical practice, patients who are too careless and ignore the signal of decreased sense of smell are often encountered. Because they missed the golden period of treatment, the chance of cure is greatly reduced, and even turned into irreversible damage. It is reminded that once you find that your olfactory function has changed, you must be vigilant, seek professional assistance from an otolaryngologist as soon as possible, and diagnose the cause early and receive treatment.
further reading
The male college student mightn’t smell the smell, and the doctor was shocked to see that the “olfactory nerve” was torn off and lost his sense of smell forever!
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