Contributing Factors to Strange Foul Smell.

In a random Nigeria home, when you mention that your nose is picking up a funny smell as a lady, the first suspicion is pregnancy, but what about the male gender? They just ignore us most times, since we cannot get pregnant and disappoint them (as most parents claim). Pregnancy is a very good thing, please do not get me wrong, but getting pregnant out of wedlock in a typical Nigerian home is a taboo, and parents will do all they can to fight it, except of course, they are left with no other choice.

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However, picking up funny smells goes beyond just associating it with pregnancy symptoms, it could be a more serious issue that we are joking about right there. If you are living with a pet, or forget something in the freezer for a long time that has started to give an awful smell, you may want to check around your house thoroughly to ensure there is no physical contribution to the bad smell you experience, but if you have checked properly and there is no physical trigger, it may be time to begin to look inward.

There are different reasons why you may begin to experience a foul smell in your nose, imagine that your partner gets a lovely perfume as a gift for you and instead of perceiving the nice aroma, you are perceiving rotten eggs, which is not a pleasant occurrence at all. Do not be too scared yet, some conditions could be temporary and not life-threatening.

Nasal Polyps: They are soft, noncancerous growths that could form on the wall of one's nasal cavity or sinuses, it forms a teardrop-shaped small growth occurring as a result of chronic inflammation. There is a higher chance of developing nasal polyps if you have; allergies, asthma, or regular sinus infections.

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It is very small in size most times, so you might not even be aware of its occurrence, the symptoms may not even be associated with a rotten smell in the nose, it could on the other hand be a reduced sense of smell and taste. These formed small-sized nasal polyps can affect the nasal passages and have them blocked, therefore affecting; your voice, ability to breathe through the nose, and sense of smell.

Nasal polyps can also trigger symptoms like; stuffy nose, headache, facial pain, postnasal drip, pressure in the head and face, pain in the upper teeth and even snoring. The bad smell that comes with nasal polyps may be a result of the build-up of fluid inside the polyps. Usually, the fluid comes from a damp lining of the mucous membrane, which normally helps to moisten the respiratory tract and trap dust and other foreign substances from reaching the lungs.

There are effective treatments for Nasal polyps, prescribed medications can shrink polyps and reduce inflammation. If these medications turn out to be ineffective, then your doctor may prescribe stronger medications. It is very important to manage appropriately, the underlying causes of the polyps, which could be asthma, allergies, or infections.

In a more severe situation, endoscopic surgery is necessary, in which the doctor makes use of an endoscope to remove polyps or other obstructions that may be an impending airflow.

Parosmia: This is a viral infection that happens when small receptor cells present in the nose, known as olfactory sensory neurons, lose their ability to detect odors and then have them translated into the brain appropriately. Most often the translated smell is often unpleasant or a revolting one regardless of how originally pleasant the smell is.

Different things can cause parosmia, they include; sinus infections, head injury, some drugs and toxins, seizures, brain tumors, covid-19, dry mouth, and other upper respiratory infections like colds.
There is no standard test to determine the presence of parosmia, but Sniffin' Sticks can be used to help detect the satisfaction of everyday detection, to check the olfactory system and how well the organs behind your sense of smell are functioning.

Physical examination will also be carried out where questions will be asked about medical history checks and underlying issues like brain tumors. There is also a similar condition called Phantosmia, where unlike parosmia, the nose will be able to perceive hallucinated smells, and odors that are not there, but it is not usually constant, as it comes and goes.

Sinus Infection: Sinus infection is usually caused by either bacteria, fungi, or viruses, there are different types but none of them are pleasant. Sinusitis is the other name for sinus infection. How severe a fungal infection can get could either be mild or serious, especially for people whose immune system is already immunocompromised.

Postnasal Drip: This has to do with the accumulation of mucus at the back of the throat, creating a feeling of congestion, cough, or sore throat. Smelly mucus in the nose especially when it gets thick and seems to drip down the throat, leads to a strong sign of postnatal drip.

Normally, mucus is normal as glands in the linings of the nose, the stomach, the intestinal tract, and airways naturally produce mucus, the nose on its own produces about a quarter of it daily, and it helps with;

Response to infection.
Keeping foreign particles out of the airways.
Keeping the nasal membrane healthy.
Keeping foreign particles out of the airways.

Postnasal drip may start very gently with no bad smell and no impact on your breathing, but when the smell begins to get worse, if it even stays beyond 10 days, then you must see a doctor as soon as possible.

There are so many other factors that could contribute to the condition of perceiving something awful when a pleasant smell is being produced. We have the likes of; phantosmia, and chronic kidney disease amongst other things. It is usually advisable to visit a medical professional as soon as you begin to notice symptoms we are always advised that the better we begin treatments, the better and faster for the ailments to get resolved.