Dysosmia

Acute zinc deficiency in adults is usually associated with specific signs and symptoms associated with the rapid and progressive loss of body zinc. The initial symptoms of this condition is almost uniformly anorexia (6,JJ), a symptom also seen early in experimental zinc deficiency in animals made deficient by limitation of dietary zinc (14,15). Anorexia is commonly followed by taste and smell dysfunction, then hypogeusia and hy-posmia (loss of taste and smell acuity, respectively), followed by dysosmia and dysgeusia. 

There are several syndromes of altered sense of smell (dysosmia). Hyposmia or anosmia is the reduction in intensity or complete lack of the ability to smell, respectively. Troposmia is the distortion of an odor compared to a previous exposure. Phantosmia is the perception of an odor when there is none present. 

El Aidli S, Kastalli S, Zaiem A, Lakhoua G, Rejeibi I, Loueslati MH, Daghfous R, Belkahia C. Recurrent dysosmia induced by pyrazinamide. Fundam Clin Pharmacol 2009 23(5) 539-41. 

In a case report of two individuals with hydatid cysts who were treated with albendazole 400 mg twice a day and PZQ 1200 mg twice a day there was report of an intense metallic taste (dysgeusia). The first patient also reported dysosmia, malaise and diarrhoea, all of which resolved with the cessation of PZQ [63 ]. 

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