Anosmia overview

Anosmia Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Anosmia from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
CT
MRI
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Surgery
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Anosmia overview On the Web
Most recent articles
cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Anosmia overview All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Anosmia overview
CDC on Anosmia overview
Anosmia overview in the news
Blogs on Anosmia overview
Directions to Hospitals Treating Anosmia
Risk calculators and risk factors for Anosmia overview

Please help WikiDoc by adding more content here. It's easy! Click here to learn about editing.

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Anosmia is the inability to perceive odor, or in other words a lack of functioning olfaction.

Causes

A temporary loss of smell can be caused by a stuffy nose or infection. In contrast, a permanent loss of smell may be caused by death of olfactory receptor neurons in the nose, or by brain injury in which there is damage to the olfactory nerve or damage to brain areas that process smell (see olfactory system). The lack of the sense of smell at birth, usually due to genetic factors, is referred as congenital anosmia. Anosmia may very occasionally be an early sign of degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Epidemiology and Demographics

In the United States, more than 2 million people suffer from anosmia.