The key difference between anosmia and hyposmia is that anosmia is a smell disorder in which a person cannot detect odour at all, while hyposmia is a smell disorder in which a person’s ability to detect odour is reduced.
Smell disorders occur when people lose their ability to smell or change how odours are perceived. Anosmia and hyposmia are two different types of smell disorders. Trauma, chronic sinusitis, neoplasms, and respiratory viral infections such as rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2 can cause them. Anosmia and hyposmia can be treated based on the specific cause or etiology.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Anosmia
3. What is Hyposmia
4. Similarities – Anosmia and Hyposmia
5. Anosmia vs. Hyposmia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Anosmia vs. Hyposmia
What is Anosmia?
Anosmia medically refers to the total loss of sense of smell in people. Hence, this condition affects the person’s ability to detect odours. Anosmia can affect people of all ages, including children, young adults, and older people. Generally, it is a common side effect of many other conditions, such as colds, sinus infections, and allergies. The symptoms associated with this condition can manifest as a gradual or sudden loss of the sense of smell, altered perception of familiar scents before experiencing a complete loss of smell, and changes in the sense of taste for food. Nasal polyps, common cold, influenza flu, nasal congestion, a deviated septum, sinus infection, and hay fever can cause anosmia. In addition, anosmia is linked to diabetes, smoking, obesity, hypertension, Kallmann syndrome, certain medications such as antibiotics, antihistamines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and brain tumors.
Anosmia can be diagnosed through medical history, physical symptoms evaluation, smell test, and CT (computed tomography) scan. Furthermore, anosmia is treated by managing the underlying conditions, switching the medications that result in anosmia, surgeries for nasal polyps, and lifestyle changes (avoiding toxic chemicals, not smoking, and wearing protective gear when playing contact sports).
What is Hyposmia?
Hyposmia medically refers to a decreased ability to smell or detect odours through the nose. It can be caused by nasal blockage, allergies, flu or cold, chronic sinus problems, head injury, nasal polyps, a deviated nasal septum, smoking, dental issues, hormones imbalances, exposure to some chemicals, usage of recreational drugs such as cocaine, radiation therapy for head and neck cancer, medications like antibiotics (ampicillin and tetracycline), and antidepressants (amitriptyline) and antihistamines (fluticasone and prednisone). Symptoms of hyposmia can range from a diminished ability to detect smells to a complete loss of the sense of smell. It may also involve a loss of taste, making it difficult to perceive the flavors of sweet, sour, bitter, or salty. Furthermore, pleasant smells or tastes may become unpleasant in cases of hyposmia.
Hyposmia can be diagnosed through medical history, physical symptoms evaluation, comparing smells of different chemicals, scratch and sniff test, and sip, spit, and rinse test. Furthermore, hyposmia is treated by managing nasal inflammation using oral medications to reduce inflammation, antibiotics, or performing surgery inside the nose, surgery to remove blockage (nasal polyps), counseling, quitting smoking, correcting other underlying medical conditions, changing of medications contributing to the disorder and surgical removal of other obstructions.
What are the Similarities Between Anosmia and Hyposmia?
- Anosmia and hyposmia are two different types of smell disorders.
- Both disorders are characterized by loss of smell and taste.
- Both disorders can be caused by similar aetiologies such as trauma, chronic sinusitis, neoplasms, and respiratory viral infections such as rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2.
- These disorders can be diagnosed through medical history, physical symptoms evaluation, and smell tests.
- They are mainly treated by managing the underlying conditions and surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Anosmia and Hyposmia?
Anosmia is a smell disorder in which a person cannot detect odour at all. At the same time, hyposmia is a smell disorder in which a person’s ability to detect odour is reduced. Thus, this is the key difference between anosmia and hyposmia. Furthermore, anosmia is characterized by the potential loss of the sense of smell either gradually or suddenly. Individuals may experience a change in the perception of familiar scents before ultimately developing a complete loss of smell. In addition, there may be a noticeable alteration in the sense of taste, resulting in changes in how food tastes. On the other hand, hyposmia refers to a range of symptoms that can include a reduced ability to detect smells, ranging from a mild decrease to a complete inability to perceive any odors. Loss of taste is also common, leading to an inability to distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter, or salty flavors.
The infographic below presents the differences between anosmia and hyposmia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Anosmia vs Hyposmia
Smell disorders can be found in people of all ages, and they occur when people lose their ability to smell or change how odours are perceived. The most common smell and taste disorders are anosmia, ageusia, hyposmia, and hypogeusia. These smell disorders can affect the quality of life and may indicate an underlying medical disease. Anosmia is a condition in which a person cannot detect odour at all, while hyposmia is when a person’s ability to detect odour is reduced. So, this summarizes the difference between anosmia and hyposmia.
Reference:
1. “Anosmia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments.” WebMD.
2. “Hyposmia – An Overview.” ScienceDirect.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Anosmia” By Manu5 – Scientific Animations (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “20200711 Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) – categories and subtypes” By RCraig09 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia