What is anosmia?

Anosmia (say "ay-NAWZ-mee-uh") is the loss of the sense of smell. It can be a problem by itself or a symptom of another health problem. It can last a short time, such as when you have a stuffy nose from a cold, or it can be permanent.

Some people have a reduced sense of smell. This is called hyposmia (say "hy-PAWZ-mee-uh"). These people may be able smell some scents but not others. Or scents may smell different than they used to.

A doctor diagnoses lack of the sense of smell with:

• A family and personal history.
• An exam of the head, neck, and nose.

In some cases, you also may have:

• Tests to see if you can smell certain scents or odors.
• A blood test to look for a vitamin deficiency or other health problem.
• An MRI or a CT scan to look for problems in your brain.

Treatment depends on whether the cause is something that can get better on its own or be fixed. Your sense of smell should return if, for example, a cold that caused your loss of ability to smell gets better or if you stop taking a medicine that caused you to not be able to smell.

If an injury, disease, or surgery caused damage to the nerves that control your sense of smell, you might not be able to smell again. Or your sense of smell might return, but it may be different than it was before. Sometimes the sense of smell will return on its own.