Reporter Cai Tingyu / full report
Don’t ignore your sense of smell! If you don’t smell for too long, you may lose your sense of smell for the rest of your life. the seasoning got weird, but he couldn’t smell it properly. After a preliminary nasal examination, no abnormalities were found, so he said that because he had 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 courage of smell to be torn, and he lost his sense of smell.
A male college student suffered a concussion in a car accident and his olfactory nerve was torn, causing him to lose his sense of smell. (Scheme / photoAC)
Chen Liangyu, otolaryngologistpost on facebookSharing, a 20-year-old college student came to the clinic and described that he works in a fast-food restaurant, but the seasoning on the dishes served two days ago started to become very strange, but he could not smell it well. no abnormalities were found on initial nasal examination. He went on to say that he was cycling with his classmates to see the night scene just now, and there was a car accident on the way, and it seemed that he hit his head, but because he was wearing a helmet, he didn’t feel any particular pain, so he went to the emergency room and came home after applying the medicine. At that moment, Dr. Chen Liangyu said that he couldn’t help but sound an alarm in his heart and asked him to go to a large hospital for an examination. Sure enough, the kid who loves to cook was ripped off with a concussion and lost his sense of smell.
Why is the sense of smell abnormal?
Dr. Chen Liangyu explained that we must be able to smell odors smoothly, relying mainly 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 combine with receptors on the olfactory nerve and are transmitted to the “olfactory bulb”, then transmitted to the olfactory center of the frontal lobe of the brain via the olfactory bulb, helping to recognize, identify or remember smells. smells. Therefore, if the sense of smell decreases, loses or smells something that others cannot smell, it is nothing more than olfactory nerve damage or 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 won’t be able to reach the olfactory nerve distribution, and you won’t be able to smell. When the mucous membranes are swollen due to allergies, the smell may not be smelled temporarily.
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There’s a problem with the olfactory nerve receptor
Dr. Chen Liangyu said that although the odor molecules can be inhaled and transmitted to the brain, they should smell fragrant, but after being transmitted to the brain, the patient feels that it has become a stinky odor. If there is a tumor in the brain, there may be a misinterpretation of information after it has been transmitted to the brain, resulting in confusion in the sense of smell. Head and neck cancer patients may also experience changes such as reduced or partial loss of smell after radiation therapy.
If there is a tumor in the brain, there may be a misinterpretation of information after it has been transmitted to the brain, resulting in confusion in the sense of smell. (Scheme / photoAC)
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When the olfactory pathway is blocked:
If the olfactory nerve is torn or infected and loses its function, smell cannot be transmitted to the brain and 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 the receptors to generate chaotic signals after receiving gas molecules, diabetics with poor blood sugar control are prone to peripheral neuropathy, in addition to numbness in the hands and feet, even the ears, the eyes and sense of smell will be impaired. -
Inborn developmental defects, such as Kallmann syndrome due to genetic defects.
The virus destroys the olfactory nerve, can lose 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, when the cold recovers, the olfactory nerve usually returns to normal. However, if the olfactory nerve is damaged by a viral infection, there may be partial or complete permanent loss 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. Subsequently, the cold healed but they still had no sense of smell. It’s too long. Even though 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, one must not be distracted. If you manage to see a doctor in time, through steroid drug treatment, combined with vitamin B, C or folic acid supplementation, there may be a chance 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 the already fragile olfactory nerve, it is often more difficult. the previous state.
The cold has improved, but the sense of smell has not recovered, one must not be negligent. (Scheme / photoAC)
The nose does not smell, how to treat?
Dr. Chen Liangyu suggested that if smell is treated, the cause should be treated individually. For example, if it is caused by obstruction of the olfactory pathway, it can be resolved by removing polyps or tumors; if it is caused by a cold, drink plenty of water and rinse the nasal cavity well; if hypothyroidism is suspected to be caused by a blood test and treatment it can also restore your 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 undergo a thorough examination by a medical professional to make a correct differential diagnosis. Take sinusitis for example. If the sinusitis is caused by a fungal or bacterial infection, the patient will continue to smell rancid in the event of a purulent. You may need antibiotics or surgery. If steroids are used improperly, immunity may be weakened and symptoms will be more severe, 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 nerves and the brain, which is helpful in improving and restoring the sense of smell.
Finally, Chen Liangyu further mentioned that in clinical practice, patients are often encountered who are too inattentive and ignore the signal of decreased smell. Because they have missed the golden period of treatment, the possibility of cure is greatly reduced and even transformed into irreversible damage. Please remember that once you find that your olfactory function has changed, you must be vigilant, seek professional help from an otolaryngologist as soon as possible, diagnose the cause early, and receive treatment.
further reading
The male college student couldn’t smell and the doctor was shocked to see that the “olfactory nerve” had been torn and he lost his sense of smell forever!
Loss of smell doesn’t mean diagnosis? Experts reveal ’76-year-old ↓ elderly’ ability plummeted: Fear of early dementia
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