Article | Source: Campus Sanofi · Read time: 3 minutes

Trust your senses: Smell matters more than you know

Author: Sanofi Editorial Team

Loss of smell is one of the most challenging symptoms of Chronic Nasal Polyps (Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps, CRSwNP). It can affect how you enjoy food, connect with loved ones, and feel day to day. Losing your sense of smell can also be an early sign that your condition is getting worse or isn’t well controlled.^1-3 Speaking with your doctor about getting a smell test and exploring treatment options can help you take control of your Chronic Nasal Polyps.⁴

Sense of smell is essential to everyday life

Your sense of smell is something most people take for granted.^5,6 In fact, one in four people may not realize they have loss of smell until they are tested for it.⁷

But smell plays a bigger role in everyday life than you might think. It enhances the flavor of your favorite food and lets you enjoy familiar scents like flowers or fresh rain.^8,9 Different scents can lift your spirits, stir up memories, and strengthen the bonds you share with loved ones.¹⁰ It also acts as a built-in safety system, helping you detect harmful things like spoiled food, gas leaks, or smoke from a fire.^9,11

Losing your sense of smell (sinusitis loss of smell) can deeply affect what you eat and how much you enjoy food.^1,5,11,12 It can also affect your emotional well-being, causing frustration, sadness and a feeling of disconnect from others.^1,2,11,12

How loss of smell can affect your daily life: not noticing spoiled food or gas leaks, worrying more about body odour and personal hygiene, feeling disconnected from friends and family, enjoying food and meals less, and eating less, which can affect your health.

Loss of smell: More than missed scents

Losing your sense of smell isn’t just about missing scents, it can be a sign of Chronic Nasal Polyps (Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps, CRSwNP).^2,3,14 In fact, around three quarters of people with this condition say that loss of smell is one of the most difficult nasal polyps symptoms to live with.¹⁵

Approximately 9 out of 10 people with severe Chronic Nasal Polyps experience loss of smell

In CRSwNP, small, fleshy growths called nasal polyps form inside your nose because of long-term inflammation.They can partly or fully block your nose, making it hard to breathe.^2,4 They block the airflow and prevent scent molecules from reaching the sensory cells high in your nose.^1,3 They can also damage the nerves and smell sensors that help to detect different smells.¹ If you have Chronic Nasal Polyps symptoms, you may experience a runny nose or nasal congestion along with a reduced or lost sense of smell.^4,14

If you're living with CRSwNP, loss of smell can be one of the first indications that your condition is not well controlled, even with treatment. Monitoring your sense of smell can help you understand if your condition is getting worse and signal when it's time to speak to your doctor.

The link between Chronic Nasal Polyps and Type 2 inflammation

Inflammation is your body’s natural way of responding to injury, illness or something it wants to get rid of—like a virus. CRSwNP is commonly caused by a type of long-lasting inflammation called Type 2 inflammation.^2,16 This happens when your immune system responds to a trigger but doesn't switch off when it has gone away. The chronic nasal inflammation in your nose and sinuses continue, which can lead to ongoing sinus problems and damage.^17,18

Treating Type 2 inflammation can help improve loss of smell in Chronic Nasal Polyps.

Learn more about Type 2 inflammation in Chronic Nasal Polyps [About Chronic Nasal Polyps/Countries to add country-specific URL].

Getting your sense of smell tested

Many people don’t realize that they have lost their sense of smell until their CRSwNP is already advanced. In fact, it can take months or even years to notice. By then, the chronic nasal inflammation and polyps in your nose may have got worse.^7,16

If you have CRSwNP, talk to your doctor to see if they have a way to assess your smell. Some clinics may have the capability to perform smell tests, for example, Scratch & Sniff, VAS scale, or SNOT-22.⁴

Your doctor might use smell tests, or a questionnaire called the SNOT-22 to understand how Chronic Nasal Polyps are affecting your senses. The SNOT-22 questionnaire is a short survey that includes questions about smell and taste. It helps your doctor see how your symptoms are affecting your daily life and overall well-being.

Other common tests include the Sniffin’ Sticks Test and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), which check how well a person can detect, recognize, and tell different smells apart.^1,3,6,9,10

Loss of smell can be a sign that your Chronic Nasal Polyps are getting worse, while any improvement in loss of smell can indicate that treatment is working.

Taking control of your smell loss

Treatment for CRSwNP aims to relieve nasal polyp symptoms, including loss of smell, and help you feel better in your daily life.^18,19 There are different options to manage nasal polyps symptoms and their impact on quality of life, including medications (such as corticosteroids or biologics) and surgery.^1,2,14Understanding your treatment options can help you get the care that's right for you.

Learn more about treatments for Chronic Nasal Polyps [Treatment and management].

Key points

Losing your sense of smell can affect your daily life—it may make food less enjoyable, lower your mood, and impact how you connect with others and the world around you.^1,5,11,12
Loss of smell is a common symptom of CRSwNP and can be one of the first signs that your condition isn't well controlled, even with treatment.^1-3,14
If you are living with CRSwNP, talk to your doctor about getting a smell test⁴

Actions you can take

Complete our Chronic Nasal Polyps Symptom Checker[Chronic Nasal Polyps Symptom checker/Countries to add country-specific URL]
Use our Doctor Discussion Guide to help you prepare for next appointment [Useful tools/Countries to add country-specific URL]
Find a specialist near you [Countries to add country-specific URL]

References

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Lane AP, Mullol J, Hopkins C, et al. Dupilumab improves sense of smell and clinical outcomes in patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps with anosmia. Curr Med Res Opin. 2025;41(1):53-59. doi:10.1080/03007995.2024.2434083
Macchi A, Giorli A, Cantone E, et al. Sense of smell in chronic rhinosinusitis: a multicentric study on 811 patients. Front Allergy. 2023;4:1083964. doi:10.3389/falgy.2023.1083964.
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Miwa T, Furukawa M, Tsukatani T, Costanzo RM, DiNardo LJ, Reiter ER. Impact of olfactory impairment on quality of life and disability. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127(5):497-503. doi:10.1001/archotol.127.5.497
Mullol J, Bachert C, Amin N, et al. Olfactory outcomes with dupilumab in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022;10(4):1086-1095.e5. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2021.09.037
Luke L, Lee L, Gokani SA, Boak D, Boardman J, Philpott C. Understanding the impact of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis on smell and taste: an international patient experience survey. J Clin Med. 2023;12(16):5367. doi:10.3390/jcm12165367
InformedHealth.org. In brief: What is an inflammation? Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). Available at: What is an inflammation? Accessed March 12, 2026.
Allergy & Asthma Network. What is type 2 inflammation? Available at: What is type-2-inflammation. Accessed March 12, 2026.
InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006. Sinusitis: Learn More – Treating chronic sinusitis. [Updated 2024 Apr 17]. Available at: Sinusitis: Learn More – Treating chronic sinusitis. Accessed March 12, 2026.
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