The Nose Knows… or Does it? Olfactory Reference Syndrome in Patients Presenting for Assessment of Unusual Body Odor

J Nerv Ment Dis. 2019 Mar;207(3):145-151. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000933.

Abstract

Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a rarely diagnosed psychiatric disorder in which individuals falsely believe that they emit an offensive body odor. This retrospective cohort study characterizes the clinical and demographic features of 54 individuals who presented to a Canadian genetics clinic for query trimethylaminuria (TMAU), an inherited disorder in which a pungent fishy odor is produced. The majority (83%) were found to have a likely diagnosis of ORS and a high rate (73.3%) of concomitant psychiatric disorders; only two patients were diagnosed with TMAU. This study highlights the genetics clinic as an unexpected and major ascertainment point for ORS, and shows that ORS can be differentiated from TMAU by age of onset (~28 years), odor characterization (refuse-related), and the presence of associated comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. There is a low diagnostic rate of ORS, attesting to the need for improved education and awareness.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety Disorders / epidemiology
  • Comorbidity
  • Delusions / diagnosis
  • Delusions / epidemiology
  • Delusions / physiopathology*
  • Female
  • Genetic Testing
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metabolism, Inborn Errors / diagnosis
  • Methylamines / urine
  • Middle Aged
  • Mood Disorders / epidemiology
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / diagnosis
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / epidemiology
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / physiopathology*
  • Olfactory Perception / physiology*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Somatoform Disorders / epidemiology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Methylamines

Supplementary concepts

  • Trimethylaminuria