A World Without Scent: Congenital Anosmia

Have you ever come home after school and could smell your mother’s fresh cookies being made in the kitchen? Have you ever walked by a stinky gym locker and wrinkled your nose in disgust? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to the scent of smoke, only to discover that your home was on fire? Most people all answer ‘yes’ to these simple questions. But a small percentage of people say no, they have not. Those people have a relatively rare disease known as congenital anosmia.

Congenital anosmia literally means ‘The absence of the sense of smell since birth’. It is unknown how it happens, and there is no way to cure anosmia. It is also very difficult to ‘diagnose’ someone who suspects they have no sense of smell; it does not show up in any kind of medical test, or CAT scans. Those who have congenital anosmia must learn to live with their disability, and most find it difficult.

For those with congenital anosmia, everyday life also becomes much more dangerous than those who do not have the condition. For example, if someone with congenital anosmia goes to bed at night, and a fire starts in their home, they will not be able to smell the smoke, and if they have no smoke detector, what could be defined in the medical world as a ‘small problem’, could become lethal. If the person does not wake up, their home may burn down with them in it, and unless they are rescued by a fireman or other family member, they may die. Also, if a home becomes infested with carbon monoxide, which is said to smell like rotten eggs, someone with congenital anosmia may very likely die from it if they have no detector for the carbon monoxide.

Life for a congenital anosmiac may likely be more embarrassing, as well. Since they have an absence of the sense of smell, they can’t check their clothing to make sure it doesn’t smell bad, smell their armpits to check if they need more deodorant, check their breath to see if it smells bad, etc. etc. These things can lead to an embarrassing encounter at school, work, or with friends and loved ones.

In short, congenital anosmia is a serious medical issue which needs to be studied more by scientists and doctors so that eventually, a cure can be made available to those who have the condition.