Review

. 2023;85(6):312-320.

doi: 10.1159/000530211. Epub 2023 Apr 14.

Olfactory Nomenclature: An Orchestrated Effort to Clarify Terms and Definitions of Dysosmia, Anosmia, Hyposmia, Normosmia, Hyperosmia, Olfactory Intolerance, Parosmia, and Phantosmia/Olfactory Hallucination

Anna Kristina Hernandez^{1

2

3}, Basile N Landis⁴, Aytug Altundag⁵, Alexander Wieck Fjaeldstad^{6

7

8

9}, Simon Gane^{9

10}, Eric H Holbrook¹¹, Caroline Huart^{12

13}, Iordanis Konstantinidis¹⁴, Matt Lechner^{15

16

17}, Alberto Macchi¹⁸, Patricia Portillo Mazal¹⁹, Takaki Miwa²⁰, Carl M Philpott^{21

22}, Jayant M Pinto²³, Sophia C Poletti²⁴, Jan Vodicka²⁵, Antje Welge-Luessen²⁶, Katherine L Whitcroft^{1

9

27}, Thomas Hummel¹

Affiliations

¹ Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
² Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, Philippines.
³ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Muntinlupa, Philippines.
⁴ Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Biruni University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Regional Hospital Gødstrup, Herning, Denmark.
⁷ Department of Clinical Medicine, Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁸ Center for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁹ The Centre for Olfactory Research and Applications, Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, UCLH, London, UK.
¹¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹² Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
¹³ Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁴ Smell and Taste Clinic, Second Academic Otorhinolaryngology Department, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
¹⁵ Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁶ UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁷ ENT Department, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁸ ENT Clinic, University of Insubria, ASST Sette Laghi, Varese, Italy.
¹⁹ Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
²⁰ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan.
²¹ Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
²² The Smell and Taste Clinic, James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, UK.
²³ Section of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
²⁴ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
²⁵ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital Pardubice, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czechia.
²⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
²⁷ UCL Ear Institute, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.

PMID: 37062268
PMCID: PMC10711772
DOI: 10.1159/000530211

Review

Olfactory Nomenclature: An Orchestrated Effort to Clarify Terms and Definitions of Dysosmia, Anosmia, Hyposmia, Normosmia, Hyperosmia, Olfactory Intolerance, Parosmia, and Phantosmia/Olfactory Hallucination

Anna Kristina Hernandez et al. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2023.

. 2023;85(6):312-320.

doi: 10.1159/000530211. Epub 2023 Apr 14.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
² Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines - Manila, Manila, Philippines.
³ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Muntinlupa, Philippines.
⁴ Rhinology-Olfactology Unit, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Biruni University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey.
⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Clinic for Flavour, Balance and Sleep, Regional Hospital Gødstrup, Herning, Denmark.
⁷ Department of Clinical Medicine, Flavour Institute, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
⁸ Center for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, Linacre College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁹ The Centre for Olfactory Research and Applications, Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, UK.
¹⁰ Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, UCLH, London, UK.
¹¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
¹² Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
¹³ Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁴ Smell and Taste Clinic, Second Academic Otorhinolaryngology Department, Papageorgiou Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
¹⁵ Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁶ UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
¹⁷ ENT Department, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
¹⁸ ENT Clinic, University of Insubria, ASST Sette Laghi, Varese, Italy.
¹⁹ Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
²⁰ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan.
²¹ Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
²² The Smell and Taste Clinic, James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, UK.
²³ Section of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
²⁴ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
²⁵ Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital Pardubice, Faculty of Health Studies, University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czechia.
²⁶ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
²⁷ UCL Ear Institute, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK.

PMID: 37062268
PMCID: PMC10711772
DOI: 10.1159/000530211

Erratum in

Erratum.
[No authors listed] [No authors listed] ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2023;85(6):360. doi: 10.1159/000534593. Epub 2023 Oct 19. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2023. PMID: 37857259 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Background: Definitions are essential for effective communication and discourse, particularly in science. They allow the shared understanding of a thought or idea, generalization of knowledge, and comparison across scientific investigation. The current terms describing olfactory dysfunction are vague and overlapping.

Summary: As a group of clinical olfactory researchers, we propose the standardization of the terms "dysosmia," "anosmia," "hyposmia," "normosmia," "hyperosmia," "olfactory intolerance," "parosmia," and "phantosmia" (or "olfactory hallucination") in olfaction-related communication, with specific definitions in this text.

Key messages: The words included in this paper were determined as those which are most frequently used in the context of olfactory function and dysfunction, in both clinical and research settings. Despite widespread use in publications, however, there still exists some disagreement in the literature regarding the definitions of terms related to olfaction. Multiple overlapping and imprecise terms that are currently in use are confusing and hinder clarity and universal understanding of these concepts. There is a pressing need to have a unified agreement on the definitions of these olfactory terms by researchers working in the field of chemosensory sciences. With the increased interest in olfaction, precise use of these terms will improve the ability to integrate and advance knowledge in this field.

Keywords: Anosmia; Definition; Dysosmia; Hyperosmia; Hyposmia; Normosmia; Olfaction; Olfactory hallucination; Olfactory intolerance; Parosmia; Phantosmia.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.K.H., B.N.L., A.A., A.W.F., S.G., E.H.H., C.H., I.K., M.L., A.M., P.P.M., T.M., J.M.P., S.C.P., J.V., A.W.L., and K.L.W. have no conflicts of interest to declare. C.P.: the author is a trustee of Fifth Sense and holds grants with the National Institute of Health Research, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Rosetrees Trust, ENT UK, and the Royal College of Surgeons. He has received personal fees from GSK, Sanofi, Stryker, and Olympus. T.H.: since 2019, T.H. did research together with and received funding from Sony, Stuttgart, Germany; Smell and Taste Lab, Geneva, Switzerland; Takasago, Paris, France; AspUraclip, Berlin, Germany; Baia Foods, Madrid, Spain; Burghart, Holms, Germany; and Primavera, Oy-Mittelberg, Germany.

Figures

**Fig. 1.**
Olfactory terms in the PubMed database (as of January 2023).

**Fig. 2.**
Concept diagram of olfactory terms.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Cubelli R, Della Sala S. In search of a shared language in neuropsychology. Cortex. 2017;92:A1–2. 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.03.011. - DOI - PubMed
1. Leopold D. Distortion of olfactory perception: diagnosis and treatment. Chem Senses. 2002;27(7):611–5. 10.1093/chemse/27.7.611. - DOI - PubMed
1. Hummel T, Whitcroft KL, Andrews P, Altundag A, Cinghi C, Costanzo RM, et al. . Position paper on olfactory dysfunction. Rhinol Suppl. 2017;54(26):1–30. 10.4193/Rhino16.248. - DOI - PubMed
1. Hong SC, Holbrook EH, Leopold DA, Hummel T. Distorted olfactory perception: a systematic review. Acta Otolaryngol. 2012;132(Suppl 1):S27–31. 10.3109/00016489.2012.659759. - DOI - PubMed
1. Doty RL. Clinical disorders of olfaction. Handbook of olfaction and gustation. 3rd Ed;2015. p. 375–402.

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Olfactory Nomenclature: An Orchestrated Effort to Clarify Terms and Definitions of Dysosmia, Anosmia, Hyposmia, Normosmia, Hyperosmia, Olfactory Intolerance, Parosmia, and Phantosmia/Olfactory Hallucination

Affiliations

Olfactory Nomenclature: An Orchestrated Effort to Clarify Terms and Definitions of Dysosmia, Anosmia, Hyposmia, Normosmia, Hyperosmia, Olfactory Intolerance, Parosmia, and Phantosmia/Olfactory Hallucination

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Conflict of interest statement

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