Scent of a patient: an underestimated role in clinical practice?

Abstract

We work with it but don't realise the efficiency of the tool. It can detect infection before the patient sits down and can distinguish between sick or healthy babies — our sense of smell. We see, we listen, we touch, we even taste (remember the discovery of diabetes?) but rarely in medical literature is smell given much attention. Yet, on a daily basis smell influences the decisions we make. Adopting the traditional biopsychosocial approach of general practice, let's start with the familiar. Biological problems. When trying to recall a physical sign involving smell from my basic medical training, I remember lots of bad breath — be it liver failure or the uremic fetor of kidney failure. The more commonplace halitosis rarely got a mention. What about the ‘classic’ presentation of diabetic ketosis? Associated …