Smell sense, loss of

Seeing your GP

Your GP will want to take your full medical history, examine the inside of your nose and take a blood sample for testing in a laboratory.

Your doctor may refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist in hospital. Further tests, such as a CT scan , MRI scan or nasal endoscopy (where a thin tube with a camera is inserted up your nose), can be used to investigate the cause.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for smell sense, loss of

Introduction

Anosmia is the medical term for loss of the sense of smell. It's usually caused by a nasal condition or brain injury, but some people are born without a sense of smell (congenital anosmia)

Seeing your GP

Your GP will want to take your full medical history, examine the inside of your nose and take a blood sample for testing in a laboratory. Your doctor may refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) sp

What are the causes?

There are several medical conditions and medications associated with a loss of smell. The possible causes include: a viral infection affecting the upper respiratory tract , such as a cold persis

Can anosmia be cured?

Whether or not anosmia can be cured depends on the underlying cause. People with congenital anosmia have a lifelong inability to smell and have no concept of what a smell even is. Currently, there's

Safety

If you have anosmia, you'll need to take special precautions because you won't be able to smell fires, poisonous fumes, leaking gas or food that has gone off. It's recommended that you: install sm

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