How do you Diagnose Phantosmia?
If you experience symptoms of phantosmia, your family physician will first try to understand the symptoms and confirm if the problem is with your smell and not your taste. The physician will also check for irregularities in body functions that may cause the unpleasant odors. It is vital that the physician shows empathy to those who experience phantosmia since they may feel insecure with ineffective medications, references to mental conditions, and unempathetic remarks, such as “It will go away on its own.” The mental health and the general behavior of the patient should be checked.
The doctor should examine the nasal passage with mucus layers, the middle ear, and the tongue. An endoscopy of the nose and blocking either the left or the right or both nasal passages, will serve to inform which side of the nose is affected by the perceived smell.
The following imaging techniques help to scan the nasal cavity and the brain:
- PET: Positron emission tomography
- EEG: Electroencephalography-associated abnormalities
- MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain
- Contrast-enhanced coronal or axial CT scans: computed tomography
Metabolic testing of any functioning disorder within the body, such as the liver, will help identify if it is causing phantosmia.
