Desiderosmia

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Desiderosmia is a craving for particular sharp or pungent smells, including the smells of such inedible substances as rubber tires, menthol, gasoline, bleach and domestic cleaning products, without the desire to taste or eat the substances in question. [1] [2]

Desiderosmia can be a symptom of iron deficiency. [1] It has been observed in pregnant women with low iron levels. [2] Desiderosmia has also been observed in some cases of major depression without iron deficiency. [3] In both cases, treating the underlying condition relieved the symptom of desiderosmia. [2] [3]

There are a number of hypotheses for physiological mechanisms for this craving, but a cause has not yet been determined. [4]

The condition has been compared to pica, the consumption of non-nutritive substances, but is a distinct condition. [2] [5]

References

  1. 1 2 Hansen, Bryar; Ravindran, Aishwarya; Bottner, Wayne A.; Cole, Craig E.; Farnen, John P.; Go, Ronald S. (2016-12-02). "Desiderosmia (Craving of Olfaction): A Novel Symptom Associated with Iron Deficiency Anemia" . Blood. 128 (22): 4827. doi:10.1182/blood.V128.22.4827.4827. ISSN   0006-4971.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Katrina; Mo, Allison; Atmuri, Kiran (2022-03-01). "Desiderosmia: a manifestation of iron deficiency in pregnancy". BMJ Case Reports. 15 (3) e248220. doi:10.1136/bcr-2021-248220. ISSN   1757-790X. PMC   8905916 . PMID   35260407.
  3. 1 2 Layek, Avik Kumar; Makhal, Manabendra; Majumder, Uttam; Sarkar, Sharmila (July 2024). "Unusual presentation of desiderosmia in major depressive disorder: A case series of four patients from Eastern India". Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 66 (7): 665–667. doi: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_914_23 . ISSN   0019-5545. PMC   11382746 . PMID   39257508.
  4. ↑ Hansen, Bryar R.; Bottner, Wayne A.; Ravindran, Aishwarya; DeJesus, Ramona; Go, Ronald S. (2017). "A follow-up on desiderosmia (olfactory craving), a novel symptom associated with iron deficiency anemia". American Journal of Hematology. 92 (9): E546. doi:10.1002/ajh.24806. ISSN   1096-8652. PMID   28568111.
  5. ↑ Acik, Didar Yanardag (2019-04-02). "Recognizing the unusual findings: Cases of desiderosmia". Clinical Case Reports. 7 (5): 953–954. doi:10.1002/ccr3.2126. PMC   6509666 . PMID   31110722.


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