The first study in the US used nationally representative data to examine prevalence and risk factors for odor perception, contributing to unlocking the mysteries of “virtual odors”.
The study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, was led by Kathleen Bainbridge, PhD program in Epidemiology and Biology at the National Institutes of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health. America.
Dr Bainbridge and her team used data on 7,417 people over the age of 40 from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They used questionnaires to explore correlations between virtual odors and participants’ characteristics such as age, gender, education level, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health habits. certain and general health status. As a result, 1 in 15 Americans (about 6.5%) over the age of 40 experience the perception of a “virtual smell”.
Odor is an odor that is often not present. (Photo: REUTERS).
According to Healthline, Phantosmia (phantom smell) – an olfactory hallucination is a condition that causes the subject to smell a smell that is not in reality (in the article using the word “virtual smell”).
Science Daily quotes Dr. Judith A. Cooper, director of the NIDCD: “Problems with the sense of smell are often overlooked despite their importance. They can have a major impact on appetite, favorite foods. and the ability to smell dangerous odors such as fire, gas leaks and spoiled food.”
Donald Leopold, clinical professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington (USA), adds that patients who experience a “phantom smell” often have a miserable quality of life and are sometimes unable to maintain their weight. healthy.
About twice as many women as men experience a “virtual smell”, especially those under the age of 60. This could be explained by previous studies showing that women are more sensitive to odors, often better at naming odors and often negatively affected by odors than men, according to ABC News.
Research indicates other risk factors that are associated with the onset of phantom odors include head trauma, dry mouth, poor overall health, and low socioeconomic status. The researchers hypothesized that people with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to be exposed to environmental pollutants and toxins.
Meanwhile, poor health conditions are related to “phantom odors” either directly or by the effects of drugs they take to treat their poor health conditions.
The specific cause of olfactory hallucinations has so far remained a mystery. “This condition may be related to overactive olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity or possibly to a malfunction in the brain when interpreting odor signals, ” Bainbridge and colleagues suggest.
The team thinks that from this study, other researchers can form an idea of a starting point to trace the cause and eventually figure out how to prevent or treat the condition.