Q & A
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Published: June 22, 2004
Q. I recently spent a day in a home full of strong-smelling lilies. For the next week, I smelled the same smell. What could cause this?
A. The condition is called phantosmia, meaning phantom smell, said Dr. Dimitri Z. Pitovski, director of the Smell and Taste Center at the Wake Forest University Medical Center, and it could indicate a medical problem. The smell in the absence of a trigger could return off and on for hours, days or even longer. One of his patients had it constantly for more than 20 years, he said.
''The sensation does not result from the simple persistence of odor molecules,'' Dr. Pitovski said, ''because normally, once you are away from the area of the odor, the smell disappears.''
Most of the time, he said, phantosmia is caused by a specific incident or trauma like an accident causing damage in the region of the nerves that carry smell, a viral infection affecting these neurons, a sinus infection or an allergy that inflames tissues around the nerves.
Other possible causes include a brain tumor called a meningeoma, which usually occurs just above a bone separating the brain and the nose; certain kinds of epilepsy; and thyroid problems.
''Any persistent abnormal smell should be checked by a specialist,'' Dr. Pitovski said, ''like an otolaryngologist or neurologist, or even better, a center that specializes in smell disorders.'' C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Drawing (Drawing by Victoria Roberts)