PHANTOSMIA

Course overview

PHANTOSMIA IS A QUALITATIVE OLFACTORY DISORDER WHEREIN AN ODORANT IS PERCEIVED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN IDENTIFIABLE STIMULUS. ALTHOUGH PHANTOSMIA IS MOST OFTEN IDIOPATHIC, IT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH NASAL MUCOSAL ABNORMALITIES, MIGRAINES, SEIZURES, AND NEUROCOGNITIVE OR MOOD DISORDERS. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF PHANTOSMIA; HOWEVER, IDENTIFYING THE UNDERLYING ETIOLOGY CAN HELP GUIDE THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS CONDITION. DUE TO THE VARIABLE ETIOLOGY AND MORBIDITY OF PHANTOSMIA, A COMPREHENSIVE INTERPROFESSIONAL APPROACH IS INDICATED IN ALL CASES. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PHANTOSMIA AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND TREATING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.