What should you know about anosmia after cold?

Smell can be reduced, absent, or distorted so familiar items seem unpleasant. Recovery time varies. Persistent symptoms, a blocked nose that does not clear, or other neurological or sinus symptoms deserve clinical assessment.

Swelling and mucus may stop odour molecules from reaching the smell receptors high inside the nose. A viral infection can also disturb the smell-sensing lining or its nerve pathways even after congestion has resolved. Taste may seem dull because much of flavour comes from smell.

Other possible explanations include allergic rhinitis, chronic sinus inflammation, nasal polyps, medicine effects, or a different respiratory infection. COVID-19 can present with smell change, so follow current local testing and public-health advice when there has been a recent respiratory illness or exposure.

Saline nasal rinsing may help when congestion remains; use sterile, distilled, or previously boiled and cooled water, and keep the device clean. Do not place essential oils or irritating substances inside the nose. A pharmacist or clinician can advise whether treatment for allergy or inflammation is appropriate.

Smell training involves gently smelling a small set of distinct, familiar scents on a regular schedule while concentrating on the remembered aroma. It is a rehabilitation exercise rather than a quick test, and improvement may be gradual. Stop any scent that triggers wheezing, headache, or irritation.

Check smoke and gas alarms, label food dates, refrigerate food promptly, and ask someone with normal smell to check suspicious food. Maintain meals by using colour, texture, temperature, and tolerated seasonings rather than adding excessive salt or sugar.

Book a routine assessment if smell does not begin returning after the cold has cleared, remains troublesome, is only lost on one side, or is accompanied by persistent facial pressure, discharge, nosebleeds, or continuing blockage. Review is also sensible when altered smell is reducing food intake or causing unintended weight loss.

Seek urgent help if smell loss follows a head injury or occurs with facial weakness, trouble speaking, limb weakness, confusion, severe sudden headache, vision change, or difficulty walking. Those features require prompt assessment regardless of a recent cold.

Describe whether smell is absent, reduced, or distorted and whether one nostril differs from the other. Ask if nasal examination, medication review, smell testing, treatment for inflammation, or referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist would clarify the cause. Mention any head injury and changes in taste, appetite, or weight.