The gastroenterologist called the love of strange smells a symptom of a dangerous disease

Changes in the sense of smell, including the appearance of cravings for harsh chemical odors, can occur in hepatic encephalopathy, but is not the leading and main symptom. Natalia Motyleva, a gastroenterologist at the Sberbank Health medical company, told Izvestia about this on August 26.

"These include changes in cognitive functions, including decreased concentration, attention, slowing down of thought processes, as well as irritability, apathy, sleep-wake cycle disorders, motor disorders — coordination changes, hand tremors," she listed.

Changes in the sense of smell in the case of hepatic encephalopathy may be associated with the accumulation of toxic substances in the body, such as ammonia compounds, which affect brain cells that regulate the perception of odors.

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A similar symptom also occurs in other neurological disorders, mental disorders, for example, dementia, epilepsy, migraines, Parkinson's disease, as well as in metabolic diseases, for example, diabetes mellitus, and even with genetically determined features of smell perception.

The gastroenterologist warned that in case of any symptoms, it is recommended to consult a doctor in person or online using telemedicine services.

However, by itself, the preference for pungent odors is not able to objectively indicate the severity of the patient's condition. It is evaluated by a gastroenterologist or therapist on the basis of special scales, while the presence or absence of such a symptom is not included in the standard scales for assessing the severity of hepatic encephalopathy.

However, clinically, it can serve as an indicator of the general deterioration of the patient's condition. If it appears, it is necessary to consult a doctor for additional examination and correction of therapy.

"As a rule, a change in olfactory preferences is observed in patients with hepatic encephalopathy in the progressive stages of the disease. This symptom should alert a person, especially in the presence of chronic liver diseases, such as cirrhosis," the doctor said.

However, early signs of hepatic encephalopathy may include sleep and wake cycle disorders, changes in handwriting and behavioral reactions, such as aggression.

Earlier, on May 21, Elena Fedorova, an endocrinologist at the Academician Roitberg Clinic, warned that the problem of obesity has reached the scale of a national threat: two thirds of the adult population of Russia are overweight.

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