DR ELLIE CANNON: Why do I get the smell of bonfires in my nose?

DR ELLIE CANNON: Why do I get the smell of bonfires in my nose? By Dr Ellie Cannon for The Mail on Sunday Published: 11:49 BST, 21 July 2024 | Updated: 11:49 BST, 21 July 2024 e-mail View comments SEVERAL times a year I get a strange bonfire smell in my nostrils. I’ve read this could be a sign of something really sinister. Is this true? GETTING an altered sense of smell would usually imply some sort of problem within the nose or the sinuses.

Doctors call this phantosmia – where patients detect smells that aren’t there. The smell of smoke is one of the most commonly reported, but some people experience the scent of rotting food and chemicals. The smell of smoke is one of the most commonly reported symptoms of phantosmia A more common cause of phantosmia is a sinus infection However, it is not necessarily anything sinister.

A general rule that GPs follow is that any symptom which has been around for a long time but has not worsened, is unlikely to be dangerous. A tumour in the sinuses could cause a change in smell, but this would get worse over time, and would likely be accompanied by other symptoms. A more common cause of phantosmia is a sinus infection or a condition called sinusitis, where the sinuses become inflamed.

It is not unusual to suffer repeated sinus infections, which might explain why someone would experience a change in smell several times a year. A change in smell could also be caused by a blockage in the nose. Nasal polyps, fleshy growths of tissue inside.