Migraine can induce phantom odors before pain
Source: Agencies |
October 18, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Hallucinated scents such as a burning or rotten smell, or even the scent of foie gras, can be a part of the "aura" that some people perceive before a migraine attack, according to a US study.
About 30 percent of people with recurrent migraines have sensory disturbances, known as aura, shortly before their headache hits, but these are usually visual, such as flashes of light or blind spots. Tingling sensations or numbness, or difficulty speaking or understanding language, may also appear.
But the study, conducted by Matthew Robbins and colleagues at the Montefiore Headache Center in New York, found that a small number of people described smelling scents in conjunction with their headaches.
"It is uncommon but distinctive," said Robbins, noting that disturbances in the sense of smell, known as olfactory hallucinations, have not been covered in a systematic review of medical literature before.
Researchers reviewed 25 reported cases of patients with headaches, migraines in most cases, and olfactory hallucinations. They also examined records from more than 2,100 patients seen over 30 months. Fourteen people, or just under 0.7 percent, had described smelling scents ahead of their headaches.
"The most common was of the burning or smoke variety," Robbins said.
Some sufferers described a general burning smell. others said they smelled cigar smoke, wood smoke or burnt popcorn.
"Decomposition" odors, such as garbage or sewage, were the next most common smell reported. A few people described pleasant odours, including the scent of oranges, coffee or, in one case, foie gras.
About 11 percent of the world's population suffers migraines, so even though olfactory hallucinations are an unusual part of aura, there could still be a large number who experience them, Robbins said.
Aura symptoms are thought to result from a wave of increased electrical activity in the brain before a wave of depressed activity.
About 30 percent of people with recurrent migraines have sensory disturbances, known as aura, shortly before their headache hits, but these are usually visual, such as flashes of light or blind spots. Tingling sensations or numbness, or difficulty speaking or understanding language, may also appear.
But the study, conducted by Matthew Robbins and colleagues at the Montefiore Headache Center in New York, found that a small number of people described smelling scents in conjunction with their headaches.
"It is uncommon but distinctive," said Robbins, noting that disturbances in the sense of smell, known as olfactory hallucinations, have not been covered in a systematic review of medical literature before.
Researchers reviewed 25 reported cases of patients with headaches, migraines in most cases, and olfactory hallucinations. They also examined records from more than 2,100 patients seen over 30 months. Fourteen people, or just under 0.7 percent, had described smelling scents ahead of their headaches.
"The most common was of the burning or smoke variety," Robbins said.
Some sufferers described a general burning smell. others said they smelled cigar smoke, wood smoke or burnt popcorn.
"Decomposition" odors, such as garbage or sewage, were the next most common smell reported. A few people described pleasant odours, including the scent of oranges, coffee or, in one case, foie gras.
About 11 percent of the world's population suffers migraines, so even though olfactory hallucinations are an unusual part of aura, there could still be a large number who experience them, Robbins said.
Aura symptoms are thought to result from a wave of increased electrical activity in the brain before a wave of depressed activity.
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