Cacosmia: definition, causes, symptoms and treatment
The sense of smell allows human beings to detect and process the smells and aromas that surround them. Through this, the person can recognize objects, substances and even people who are around him. As well as identifying dangerous situations such as a gas leak, or food in poor condition that could be eaten if the bad smell was not detected.
However, this sense can be altered by different causes. These alterations are known as parosmias and encompasses all alterations that impair the sense of smell, including cacosmia , which will be discussed throughout this article.
- Related article: "The differences between syndrome, disorder and disease"
What is cacosmia?
Cacosmia is a strange medical condition whose term comes from the Greek and is formed by kakos whose translation is "bad" and osmé "smell".
The expression refers to an alteration of the sense of smell in which the brain is unable to perceive smells and aromas correctly , specifically the person refers to feel unpleasant odors and even pestilent when the rest perceive normal aromas or, even, do not perceive any smell.
According to some sources, in some cases the person may come to feel a certain preference for these unpleasant aromas, even to expose themselves voluntarily to them.
This perceptive alteration of the sense of smell is usual in patients suffering from some type of illness or psychiatric disorder , as well as in people with physical damages such as epilepsy or deterioration of the nasal cavities.
Cacosmia belongs to a group of affections perception disorders called parosmia, which also include hyperosmia, hyposmia and anosmia.
Diagnosis of cacosmia
In the diagnosis of cacosmia, as with the rest of parosmia, it is necessary to perform a physical examination of the ears, nose and throat, to determine the origin of the condition or to rule out physical causes . This analysis is done through an endoscopy, which consists in introducing, for example in the nose, a thin tube with a small camera, which allows the clinician to visualize the nasal cavities from the inside .
Another of the tests carried out in the assessment of this alteration is to measure the patient's olfactory capacity. For this, the minimum amount of aromas that a person is able to perceive is determined. Likewise, an assay is also carried out in which the patient is exposed to a series of different aromas and this must determine what odors are treated.
Finally, it is also necessary to review the patient's medical history, with the purpose of find out if this has been subjected to possible exposures to toxins .
Do not underestimate the inconveniences and interference that can cause an alteration of the sense of smell, since one of its functions is to be a first warning signal in front of a danger such as smoke, gas, food in decomposition or poor condition, etc. .
Also, the sense of smell plays an essential role in food. So a person suffering from cacosmia can get to see altered their eating habits , since the smell of the food becomes something also unpleasant.
Causes and treatments
Cacosmia can be caused by different causes, both physical and psychological. So the type of treatment of choice will vary depending on the cause of this, hence the importance of making a correct diagnosis and comprehensive evaluation.
You can differentiate between the physical and psychological causes, in which an abnormal activity of certain brain areas the cause of this alteration.
Cerebral causes
In the case of discarding the possible physical causes it is very possible that the cacosmia is produced as a result of some brain alteration.
Which would mean that the perceptual alteration is not due to a bad articulation of sense, but to an adulteration of the areas of the brain responsible for managing sensory functions.
Therefore, the possible causes of cacosmia can be:
1. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a disease of the endocrine system caused, sometimes, by a malfunction of the immune system, by infections or even during pregnancy.
In these cases the deficient production of thyroid hormone can trigger both physical and psychological symptoms, often being that the sense of smell is also affected.
2. Epilepsy
There have been some cases of cacosmia in temporal lobe epilepsies, these being temporary. The onset of cacosmia occurs with one of the seizures and tends to stay for a week or two afterwards.
- Related article: "Epilepsy: definition, causes, diagnosis and treatment"
3. Parkinson's disease
Cacosmia is also a symptom seen in some cases of Parkinson's disease. Although it is not a constant in all patients and the specific cause is not determined, it is theorized that the lack of dopamine can give rise to cases of cacosmia .
Physical causes
Among the physical causes are the following.
1. Chronic sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis consists of emphysema or inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, as a result of infection by a virus, a fungus or some type of bacteria.
The main symptoms of sinusitis are rhinorrhea or nasal discharge, congestion or obstruction of the nasal passages, which causes great difficulty in breathing through the nose; It is also characterized by hypersensitivity, pain and inflammation of the eye contour, cheekbones or nose. As a consequence this also causes a reduction or alteration of the perception of the senses of taste and even of touch .
In some types of chronic sinusitis in which infectious agents remain retained in the sinuses, cacosmia appears as one of the main symptoms.
Being associated with a physical cause, the administration of antibiotic drugs should be sufficient to eradicate the perception of unpleasant odors.
2. Rhinitis crust
Cacosmia can also be found in crust rhinitis, also called ocena. This is an alteration that acts on the nasal mucosa , causing sneezing, itching, nasal packing and mucous secretions.
As in sinusitis, the treatment of the rhinitis itself must end the unpleasant sensations. For this, the application of nasal washes and the administration of antibiotics are combined. However, there have been more serious cases in which it has been necessary to use surgery to relieve symptoms.
3. Postoperative infection
In this case, the cacosmia is derived from a complication or setback of a surgery of the nasal cavity in which the nasal horns suffer some injury or damage .
Another cause may be that caused by the desiccation of the nasal passages caused by the empty nose syndrome.
In either of the two causes, the solution is to reduce the diameter of the nasal cavity and the implantation by surgery of small silicone bars.
