Understanding changes in the olfactory system could help with early diagnosis and treatment of Anosmia

Abstract

Anosmia is an olfactory disease that is associated with the inability to smell. This disease affects 3-20% of the population, consisting of younger as well as aged adults. Anosmia is found mostly in aged adults, that are 40 years and older, and is prevalent in men. This disease can occur due to various reasons, such as sinonasal diseases, traumatic head injury, neurodegenerative diseases, viral infections, and upper respiratory infections. Anosmia can reduce quality of life, as they tend to miss out on many warning odors from food or the environment, as well as social experiences, and the overall feeling of well-being [1]. Being able to properly diagnose and treat this condition in a timely fashion is extremely important, as it could potentially recover subjects’ sense of smell and taste. This condition has been prevalent in recent months due to the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, in which many people reported having a loss of smell and taste, however, it was also found that this is not a direct result of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus, as the neurons themselves were untouched by the virus, but the sustentacular and olfactory stem cells, which support the neurons, were damaged, causing the neurons to be exposed and harmed, indirectly causing anosmia.