<i>Desiderosmia</i> (olfactory craving): A novel symptom associated with iron deficiency anemia

Hansen, Bryar R.; Bottner, Wayne A.; Ravindran, Aishwarya; DeJesus, Ramona S.; Go, Ronald S.

doi:10.1002/ajh.24706

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Thus, anemia could be linked to the development of addictive symptomatology through a mechanism whose detail is still unknown but potentially mediated by dysregulation of dopamine transmission in reward and prefrontal circuits [44]. An interesting clinical element in this setting is the observation in the literature of patients showing cravings for various non-nutritive substances that is triggered by olfactory stimuli, which disappears when the iron deficiency is corrected [45,46], as well as at least one reported case of craving regarding kaolin consumption [13].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of kaolin consumption in migrant women living in a major urban area of France: A cross-sectional investigation

Caillet

Poirier²,

Grall‐Bronnec

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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Geophagia is a feeding behavior involving the regular intake of soil, including clay-like kaolin. Frequent in Africa, kaolin consumption is associated with heavy metal intoxication, iron and other micronutrient deficiencies, geohelminth infection and inactivation of concomitantly taken drugs. It is expected that this practice would be imported into an asylum country during the immigration process. To confirm this hypothesis, a single center, cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Hospital of Nantes, France, whose main objective was to assess whether the prevalence of kaolin consumers was high in a migrant population living in a large French metropolitan area (the city of Nantes). Each woman consulting for the first time at the Medical and Psychosocial Gynecology Obstetric Unit during the inclusion period ranging from January 1, 2017, to July 1, 2017, was asked for consent to be included in the study. The main outcome was the proportion of positive answers regarding consumption of kaolin within the last twelve months, with its 95% confidence interval (CI). A logistic regression was performed to identify drivers of consumption, and a clustering approach was conducted to identify profiles of consumers. A total of 284 women were included in the study, of whom 110 (38.7%) were pregnant. Our main finding was a 14.1% (95% CI: 10.5–18.6) prevalence of clay consumers. Second, the characteristic most strongly associated with consumption was Central or West Africa origin (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 52.7; 95% CI: 13.7–202.2). Finally, 60% of consumers showed signs of addictive-like phenomena, and three profiles were identified, depicting a continuum of patients in regard to their control over their kaolin consumption. Our results suggest that kaolin consumption is frequent in particular subpopulations of migrants. This warrants further study of the clinical consequences of kaolin consumption and its associated addictive-like symptoms.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High prevalence of kaolin consumption in migrant women living in a major urban area of France: A cross-sectional investigation

Caillet

Poirier²,

Grall‐Bronnec

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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“…Many articles were published in literature indicating that iron deficiency anemia causes overeating desire against certain substances or food. However, there is only one article of Hansen et al in literature comprised of three cases indicating that the iron deficiency anemia causing smelling desire. Ruvin Kumara and Wessling‐Resnick have researched the relationship between low iron condition of the body and behavioral scent functions by using the iron deficiency anemia model induced by diet in rats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Desiderosmia was defined by Hansen et al As the excessive desire to smell certain odors which develop along with iron deficiency, such as that observed in three cases of pica recorded in 2017. This condition was successfully treated with iron supplementation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recognizing the unusual findings: Cases of desiderosmia

Açık

2019

Clinical Case Reports

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“…Desiderosmia is defined as the excessive desire to smell certain odours without the need to eat, taste or lick, and is associated with iron deficiency anaemia 1 2. Few cases have been recorded in medical literature, describing the symptom as an excessive desire to smell a specific scent that improves after iron supplementation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few cases have been recorded in medical literature, describing the symptom as an excessive desire to smell a specific scent that improves after iron supplementation. Most self-reported cases in online forums and medical literature describe the craving for smells as a benign and embarrassing phenomenon in pregnancy 1. This symptom has been investigated in comparison with the consumption of non-nutritive substances, pica 2.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desiderosmia: a manifestation of iron deficiency in pregnancy

Harris

Atmuri

2022

BMJ Case Rep

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A pregnant woman in her 20s presented with an excessive desire to smell a specific household cleaning product. She was found to have severe iron deficiency anaemia and her symptoms resolved following intravenous iron supplementation. She described symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath and olfactory cravings. The specific scent could not be replicated with other smells and the woman had to significantly modify her lifestyle to accommodate the excessive desire. She had a similar experience during her prior pregnancy which resolved after the correction of severe iron deficiency anaemia. This unique symptom has been described as desiderosmia: iron deficiency manifesting as olfactory cravings. This underappreciated but useful symptom is defined as a separate entity to pica, as there is an absence of desire to ingest the product. Desiderosmia can harm mother and baby through inhalation of potentially harmful fumes; hence, women who describe this symptom should be assessed for iron deficiency anaemia.

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Desiderosmia (olfactory craving): A novel symptom associated with iron deficiency anemia

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

High prevalence of kaolin consumption in migrant women living in a major urban area of France: A cross-sectional investigation

High prevalence of kaolin consumption in migrant women living in a major urban area of France: A cross-sectional investigation

Recognizing the unusual findings: Cases of desiderosmia

Desiderosmia: a manifestation of iron deficiency in pregnancy

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