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Hyposmia, or microsmia, [1] is a reduced ability to smell and to detect odors.A related condition is anosmia, in which no odors can be detected.Some of the causes of olfaction problems are allergies, nasal polyps, viral infections and head trauma.
Dysgeusia, also known as parageusia, is a distortion of the sense of taste. Dysgeusia is also often associated with ageusia, which is the complete lack of taste, and hypogeusia, which is a decrease in taste sensitivity. [1] An alteration in taste or smell may be a secondary process in various disease states, or it may be the primary symptom.
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 to as congenital anosmia.
Ageusia (from negative prefix a-and Ancient Greek γεῦσις geûsis 'taste') is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami (meaning 'savory taste'). It is sometimes confused with anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell.
Diagnosing dysosmia precisely can be difficult due to the variety of causes and symptoms. Often, patients may be unsure whether or not they are having issues with smell or taste specifically. It is important to identify whether the distortion applies to an inhaled odorant or if an odor exists without the stimulus.
Instead, the diagnosis is made through a combination of clinical evaluations, smell tests, imaging studies, and the exclusion of other potential causes of smell loss. [ 1 ] [ 12 ] This comprehensive approach ensures that other conditions that might interfere with the sense of smell are ruled out before confirming a diagnosis of congenital anosmia.
Anosmia is the permanent loss of the sense of smell, and is different from olfactory fatigue. It is a term commonly used in wine tasting , where one loses the ability to smell and distinguish wine bouquet after sniffing at wine continuously for an extended period of time.
Cold injury (or cold weather injury) is damage to the body from cold exposure, including hypothermia and several skin injuries. [6] Cold-related skin injuries are categorized into freezing and nonfreezing cold injuries. [5] Freezing cold injuries involve tissue damage when exposed to temperatures below freezing (less than 0 degrees Celsius).