Researchers urge greater sensitivity to patients’ loss of smell, citing threat to overall health

Losing one’s sense of smell – not uncommon in the elderly – can cause a range of emotional and physical health problems. These are compounded by a lack of understanding among clinicians, a new study has found.

About one in 20 adults lack a sense of smell, and older adults will lose some of this sense as they age, investigators report. The condition, also known as anosmia, is especially common after age 70. “There are many other causes as well – from infections and injury to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and as a side effect of some medications,” said Carl Philpott, Ph.D., from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.

The investigation included 71 participants ages 31 to 80 who wrote about their experiences after losing their ability to smell. Hazard perception was a major problem (such as the inability to smell burning food), but far from the only one. In fact, almost every aspect of life was disrupted; from everyday concerns to the breakdown of personal relationships.

Many participants no longer enjoyed eating or preparing food, and some lost appetite and weight. Others ate more food with low nutritional value and consequently gained weight.

“Most patients suffer a loss of flavor perception, which can affect appetite and can be made even worse if distortions in their sense of smell also co-exist,” said Philpott.

The inability to connect smells to happy memories was also impaired, as was personal hygiene. Participants reported anxiety and embarrassment because they couldn’t smell themselves.

The troubles as a whole led to a diverse range of negative emotions including anger, anxiety, frustration and depression. The researchers, who work with a hospital’s smell and taste clinic, said that they hope that their findings will help motivate clinicians to take the problem seriously. 

“[Patients] that did manage to get help and support were very pleased,” said Philpott. “[E]ven if nothing could be done about their condition, they were very grateful for advice and understanding.”

The study, “An unmet need: Patients with smell and taste disorders,” was published in the journal Clinical Otolaryngology.