What is "dysosmia"

n. An olfactory disorder in which the sense of smell inaccurately conveys disagreeable sensations.

n. a disorder in the sense of smell [syn: parosamia, ofactory impairment]

Dysosmia is a disorder described as any qualitative alteration or distortion of the perception of smell. Qualitative alterations differ from quantitative alterations, which include anosmia and hyposmia. Dysosmia can be classified as either parosmia (also called troposmia) or phantosmia. Parosmia refers to a distortion in the perception of an odorant. Odorants smell different from what one remembers. Phantosmia refers to the perception of an odor when there’s no actual odorant present. The etiology of dysosmia still remains a theory. It is typically considered a neurological disorder and clinical associations with the disorder have been made. Most cases are described as idiopathic and the main antecedents related to parosmia are URTIs, head trauma, and nasal and paranasal sinus disease. Dysosmia tends to go away on its own but there are options for treatment for patients that want immediate relief.