Migraineurs would be more sensitive to odors, to the point of suffering from osmophobia. At least that’s what an Italian study conducted at the Aldo Moro University (Bari, Puglia) reveals. featured in The Journal of Headache and Painon September 18th.
An olfactory illusion
As a reminder, osmophobia is part of parosmia (olfactory illusion), a smell disorder linked to a medical condition, as researchers at the University of Tours point out. Literally, it refers to the fear of smells. Concretely, it leads to an alteration in the perception of an existing odor, which turns out to be much stronger, that is to say that we are hypersensitive to certain scents. It may also be related to the idea of hyperosmia (increased sensitivity).
Italian scientists studied the prevalence of this disorder in just over 1,000 patients who suffered from migraines, between the ages of 18 and 65. They didn’t all have the same type of migraines, some had tension headaches, some had auras, some didn’t, some had cluster headaches, some had chronic migraines. Everyone had to estimate their tolerance to odors based on the headaches: if the patient was hypersensitive to them in 20% of their headaches, they were considered osmophobic.
An aggravating factor for migraine
They found that 37.9% of patients (444 people) suffered from this disorder, against 726 who did not. They also analyzed other factors during the crises: their anxiety, the impact on mental health and the times of crises. As a result, migraine sufferers who are osmophobic tend to have longer painful episodes, suffer more from anxiety and depression.
This observation reinforces the idea that migraine sufferers are more prone to osmophobia. It is also considered as an aggravating element of migraine.
These patients also tended to experience allodynia, which is characterized by mundane stimulation (supposed to be painless), which manifests painfully in the affected person. A simple contact can then become unpleasant for these people.
Source :
Osmophobia in primary headache patients: associated symptoms and response to preventive treatmentsthe Journal of headache and pain, October 2021
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