Mary Onyia
Do you know that losing your sense of smell, excluding any medical causes such as Covid and cold, could be a sign of dementia?
Dementia affects over 55 million people worldwide. It is more likely noticed in people over the age of 65. Dementia is a progressive, neurological disease that may manifest as forgetting things, feeling anxious, struggling to make decisions, and more.
Dementia occurs when it is difficult to smell or recognise the scent of shampoo, perfume, etc. Experiencing these symptoms can be scary for anyone and may affect your mental health and emotional well-being.
However, it is pertinent to note that not every loss of smell at an older age is not necessarily dementia. As people get older, it is natural for their senses to change. But, these changes tend to be more noticeable for people with dementia.
Experts in neurology believe that an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease can be linked with olfactory dysfunction. Being able to distinguish odour is a useful screening tool that can identify the degenerate from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease dementia.
This happens owing to the degenerative element of the disease which affects the brain, and the senses (and other bodily functions).
Note that the loss of smell naturally happens gradually, experts say, and can occur before you are aware of any cognitive impairment.
In 2020, when COVID-19, hit the world, experts told us that the covid -19 disease was associated with a loss of the sense of smell. For those who caught the COVID-19 virus and experienced a loss of sense of smell, we noticed how scary it was not being able to smell. Suddenly, they realised the sense of smell- which they had hitherto taken for granted is pivotal to their ‘being’, and how uncomfortable it is not to be able to smell things.
Having a sense of smell, according to experts, helps us enjoy the taste of food and can even soothe nerves. Consequently, experts advise that should anyone notice difficulty in smelling, immediately see the doctor for a medical evaluation.
This is not, however, attributing all sense of smell to dementia. Doctors agree that there are other causes of loss of smell, such as cold, influenza, sinus infection, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, and COVID-19, stressing that, sometimes, loss of smell may be reversed by treatment.
However, not in cases with loss of smell associated with dementian
So, when you experience a mild loss in your sense of smell, do well to see your doctor.
With additional reports from Yahoo! life