Hyperosmia: definition and causes

Can you imagine what it would be like to smell sweat or manure much more intensely than normal? A real ordeal, right? Well, that’s what people who suffer from it suffer daily. hyperosmia: a disorder characterized by an exaggerated ability to perceive odors that other people don’t even detect.

Hyperosmics can, for example, notice the scent of a lily or jasmine among a pile of garbage or recognize the smell of a person from a long distance. It does not mean that they become hound dogs or have superhuman properties, but rather that they have developed a hypersensitivity and unique olfactory acuity.

Hyperosmia: quality or disorder

This olfactory acuity has as many advantages as unpleasant consequences for those who enjoy and suffer from it. For some, it is generally considered a blessing, while for others it is a source of inexhaustible suffering. Let’s see examples.

If we are on the landing of the stairs of our house and we smell an appetizing stew or cake that one of our neighbors is preparing, the most normal thing is that we feel a voracious appetite.

On the other hand, if we have food nearby or trust with our neighbors, all advantages. However, If what we smell so intensely and continuously is unappetizing or we cannot satisfy the need that it awakens (hunger), things change.

Now, being in our living room calmly relaxed after a hard day of work, aromas of all kinds reach us without us being able to do anything to avoid it: the polish that the person on the first floor uses for his shoes, a bathroom freshener, the hairspray. that of the fifth or the oil of a burnt pot. Like this every day and at any time. The only thing we would want to do would be to live with a clip on our nose..

When does hyperosmia appear?

This pathology is in the same dimension, although at the other extreme, of two other types of perceptual disorders related to smell: hyposmia, decreased olfactory sensitivity and the anosmia, the total absence of smell.

Of three, hyperosmia is the least common, which has made it a poorly researched pathology. It is precisely its low incidence in the population that has not allowed the causes that produce it to be known with greater certainty.

For example, it is known that there are certain diseases or risk factors with which it is associated. Namely: tumors that affect the olfactory nerve, menopause, Addison’s disease, hyperthyroidism or neuronal alterations due to amphetamine consumption or withdrawal syndrome. In some cases, this condition ends up disappearing on its own. Only in extreme cases is it maintained throughout life.

Hyperosmia: Does it play for or against?

For a perfumer or sommelier, being hyperosmic is a real advantage. This is the case of the protagonist of the novel and film of the same name. Perfume: The Story of a murderer, for whom his olfactory hyperperception allowed him to be one of the best in his profession. However, for the rest of the people it can become a real agony.

This disorder causes very serious problems in social environments, due to the degree of rejection or dislike that certain odors represent for this type of people. For example, starting to consider your favorite food as something disgusting or your fetish perfume as something unbearable.

Also, they may faint if they are in crowded spaces or large crowds of people, such as the subway or bus.

How does the disorder disappear?

Without being able to determine its origin with certainty, treatments or ways to improve hyperosmia also offer contradictory results. For example, some have been used dopamine antagonist antipsychotic substances to treat this disorder. By inhibiting these neurotransmitters, the amount of odors that reach the olfactory bulb is limited.

From the testimonies of those affected, we know that some hyperosmic people claim that smoking also reduces their ability to smell. But beware! This statement must be taken with a grain of salt. Because if there is something that has sufficient scientific evidence, it is that smoking does not improve health. Quite the opposite.

Therefore, without a doubt, the first thing that both those who suffer from it and the people around them have to do is avoid or remove strong odors that may be truly unbearable. These are usually foods such as fish, meats, certain sauces or coffee. In the absence of pharmacological treatment, there is no choice but to regulate exposure.

Hyperosmia in pregnant women

Curiously, several of the women who suffer from this type of “temporary” disorder are pregnant. Thus, During the beginning and end of pregnancy they present olfactory hypersensitivity due, mainly, to the increase in the concentration of estrogens and progesterone in their blood.

This causes the woman to have a sharper sense of smell, which may cause her to feel rejection towards smells that she previously liked and vice versa, and even make her vomit more frequently when she notices smells that she finds truly repulsive.

In some pregnant women, this alteration decreases or disappears after the first trimester.. In others, it remains throughout the gestation period and disappears gradually after giving birth.

It is possible that this physiological alteration has been inherited from our ancestors so that the mother could recognize the smell of her own baby at birth.

Other curious perceptual disorders related to smell

Dysosmia is a neurological disorder that causes an alteration in the sense of smell. It can manifest itself in anosmia (previously referred to), parosmia or phantosmia.

Parosmia refers to a deterioration in olfactory function, which leads to the brain’s inability to correctly identify the natural or intrinsic smell of something particular. For example, a person finds the aroma of a rose unpleasant, when it is usually a pleasant smell.Phantosmia is a type of olfactory hallucination by which people detect odors that do not exist or are there. This phantom stench makes patients believe they smell natural gas. Also, that there is a leak and that therefore they are in a risky situation. We are talking about a very powerful suggestion of smell.

In conclusion, it is necessary to further research for this type of disorders and, in particular, hyperosmia. The goal should be to alleviate the impact on the lives of those who suffer from it. Consequently, it is vital to define why and how olfactory disorders such as hyperosmia appear (Delegido, C., & José, M., 2016).

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