Cacosmia: definition, causes, symptoms and treatment

This alteration affects the perception of odors, causing it to become abnormal.

The sense of smell allows human beings to detect and process the smells and aromas around them. By means of this sense, the person can recognize objects, substances and even people around him. They can also identify dangerous situations such as a gas leak or food in poor condition that could be eaten if the bad odor is not detected.

However, this sense can be altered by different causes. These alterations are known as parosmias and include all the alterations that impair the sense of smell. alterations that impair the sense of smell, including cacosmia, which will be discussed below.which will be discussed throughout this article.

What is cacosmia?

Cacosmia is a strange medical condition whose term comes from Greek and is formed by kakos whose translation is "bad" and osmé "smell".

The term refers to a disorder of the sense of smell in which the brain is unable to perceive odors and aromas correctly. unable to perceive smells and aromas correctly, specifically theSpecifically, the person refers to feeling unpleasant and even foul smells when others perceive normal smells or even no smell at all.

According to some sources, in some cases the person may feel a certain preference for these unpleasant aromas, even exposing himself voluntarily to them.

This perceptual alteration of the sense of smell is common in patients with patients suffering from some kind of illness or psychiatric alteration, as well as in people with physical damage.as well as in people with physical damage such as epilepsy or deterioration of the nasal cavities.

Cacosmia belongs to a group of scent perception disorders called parosmia, which also includes hyperosmia, hyposmia and anosmia.

Diagnosis of cacosmia

In the diagnosis of cacosmia, as with other parosmia, a physical examination of the ears, nose and throat is necessary to determine the origin of the condition or to rule out physical causes. This analysis is carried out by means of an endoscopy, which consists of introducing, for example in the nose, a thin tube with a small camera, which allows the clinician to visualize the nasal cavities. allows the clinician to visualize the nasal cavities from the inside..

Another of the tests carried out in the evaluation of this alteration is to measure the patient's olfactory capacity. This is done by determining the minimum amount of aromas that a person is able to perceive. A test is also performed in which the patient is exposed to a series of different aromas and must determine which odors they are.

Finally, it is also necessary to review the patient's medical history, in order to find out if the patient has been subjected to possible exposure to toxins. to find out if the patient has been subjected to possible exposure to toxins..

The inconveniences and interferences that an alteration of the sense of smell can produce should not be underestimated, since one of its functions is to be a first warning signal before a danger such as smoke, gas, decaying or bad food, etc.

Likewise, the sense of smell plays an essential role in nutrition. Therefore, a person suffering from cacosmia may see their eating habits altered.The smell of food also becomes unpleasant.

Causes and treatments

Cacosmia can have different causes, both physical and psychological. Therefore, the type of treatment of choice will vary depending on the cause, hence the importance of a correct diagnosis and a thorough evaluation.

It is possible to differentiate between physical and psychological causes, in which it is an anomalous activity of certain cerebral zones that cause this alteration. the cause of this alteration.

Cerebral causes

In the case of discarding the possible physical causes, it is very possible that cacosmia is produced as a consequence of some cerebral alteration.

This would mean that the perceptual alteration is not due to a bad articulation of the sense, but to an adulteration of the areas of the brain in charge of managing the sensory functions.

Therefore, the possible causes of cacosmia may be:

1. hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a disease of the endocrine system sometimes caused by a malfunction of the immune system, infections or even during pregnancy.

In these cases, the deficient production of thyroid hormone can trigger both physical and psychological symptoms, and the sense of smell is often affected as well.

2. Epilepsy

Some cases of cacosmia have been reported in temporal lobe epilepsies, these being of a temporary nature. The onset of cacosmia occurs with one of the seizures and tends to last for a week. and tends to remain for a week or two afterward.

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 a lack of dopamine may result in cases of cacosmia..

Physical causes

Physical causes include the following.

1. Chronic sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis consists of emphysema or inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, as a consequence of an infection by a virus, a fungus or some type of bacteria.

The main symptoms of sinusitis are rhinorrhea or nasal secretion, congestion or obstruction of the nostrils, 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 sensory perception. altered perception of the senses of taste and even touch..

In some types of chronic sinusitis in which infectious agents remain retained in the sinuses, cacosmia appears as one of the main symptoms.

Since it is associated with a physical cause, the administration of antibiotic drugs should be sufficient to eradicate the perception of unpleasant odors.

2. Crusted rhinitis

Cacosmia can also find its origin in crusted rhinitis, also called ocena. This is an alteration that acts on the nasal mucosacausing sneezing, itching, nasal stuffiness and mucous secretions.

As in sinusitis, the treatment of rhinitis itself must put an end to unpleasant sensations. For this purpose, nasal washes and Antibiotics are combined. However, there have been more serious cases in which surgery has been necessary to alleviate the symptoms.

3. Postoperative infection

In this case, cacosmia results from a complication or mishap from surgery of the nasal cavity in which the nasal horns suffer some injury or damage..

Another cause may be due to the drying out of the nostrils 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 surgical implantation of small silicone rods.