You might close your nose immediately if you smell a bad smell around you, thanks to your sense of smell. However, some people have a bad sense of smell or can't even smell anything at all. In the medical world, this condition is usually called hyposmia or anosmia.

Hyposmia is the loss of some of the sense of smell. Hyposmia can occur to anyone, but the elderly with age 60 years and over have a higher risk. Some factors such as allergies, flu, polyps, or head injuries can also cause hyposmia. Not only that, there are several types of drugs that can cause hyposmia, such as antibiotics (ampicillin and tetracycline), antidepressants and antihistamines.

Hyposmia can also be a symptom of several health problems such as Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's, type 1 diabetes, high blood pressure, malnutrition to cancer. Most people with Parkinson experience central nervous system disorders so that their ability to smell decreases. In the case of MS, the higher the disability caused by MS, the more difficult it is for the patient to smell.

Unlike hyposmia, anosmia is a condition where the sense of smell is completely lost. Anosmia can occur in a newborn as a congenital disease. Hyposmia and anosmia can be treated in several ways such as antibiotics, surgery (removal of polyps), or endoscopic nasal surgery to clear the sinuses. However, anosmia, which considered as a congenital disorder, cannot be cured.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Medical News Today - Hyposmia: What you need to know (2017). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318461.php?sr, January 16, 2019.
• Healthline - What Causes Hyposmia? (2017). https://www.healthline.com/symptom/hyposmia, January 16, 2019.