Smoking and Smell Disorders | Causes, Treatments for Smell Disorders
Smoking Health Hazards:
Research says that there is a strong association between smoking and loss of smell. People, who smoke, face the danger of losing the sense of smell.
Norwegian researchers, conducted clinical trials over 2294 individuals. The study showed that smokers had a 12 % to 27 % greater chance of developing nose related disorders and sleep apnea.
Experts suggest quitting smoking will be a therapeutic measure to treat patients with nose and upper airway disorders.
The researchers also found, that second hand smoke (passive smoking) had the potential to cause laryngitis, hoarseness, and cough.
Smell Disorders Information, Facts:
- Disorders of the sense of odor amplify as people age. These disorders are more frequent occurrences in male populations than compared to female populations.
- As per a study, nearly 25% of men in the age bracket of 60 to 69 years suffered from some form of smell disorder, as against 11 % of women in the same age group reported similar occurrences.
What are Smell Disorders?
- Hyposmia: This disorder is characterized by a reduction in the ability to detect and identify different odors.
- Anosmia: Anosmia is complete inability to sense the different odors.
- Parosmia: A perverted sense of odor is called parosmia, i.e. there is a distortion is the sensation of smell. What normally smells agreeable may smell foul, or vice versa.
- Smell hallucination: This disorder is typified by a sensation of smell that is not present at all.
Causes of Smell Disorders:
- Occurrence of polyps
- Infections of the upper respiratory system including sinus
- Frontal head trauma
- Hormonal disturbances
- Dental problems
- Exposure to chemicals
- Several medications, including antihistamines and some commonly used antibiotics
- Radiation Therapy used for the management of cancers of the head or the neck
- Ageing
- Health problems related to the central nervous system, including Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease
Treating Smell Disorders:
- Most of the disorders of smell are curable. For those that cannot be treated, counseling becomes important to assist people in adjusting to their problem.
- Diagnosis by a specialist is imperative to identify the underlying cause and treat it accordingly.
- In case the problem is due to certain medications, your doctor would either lower the dosage or change the medicine.
- Surgery is recommended in some cases with the objective of resolving nasal obstructions like polyps, which in turn can restore normal sense of smell.
- Occasionally, individuals may recover spontaneously.
Techniques to Quit Smoking:
- The key to quitting, is complete planning and preparation. You have to prepare your mind and body before actually quitting.
- Psychological help and prop-up are an important backbone for quitting. Family support and understanding will speed up the process. Adequate stress management and therapies and techniques to stay calm and focused ought to be a part of the daily routine. They bring about peace and tranquility and thwart the urge to smoke.
- There are several over the counter aids that help you fight the addiction. These aids are approved; and help counter the withdrawal effects and combat the craving.
December 31, 2009 | Filed Under
Health Research and News
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