Case Report: When reflux smells like smoke: a case of phantosmia associated with gastroesophageal reflux.
- 1Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, United States.
- 2Bronson Healthcare Family Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, United States.
Abstract
Background
Phantosmia is the perception of an odor without an external stimulus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been associated with olfactory dysfunction, but phantosmia has rarely been described.Case presentation
A 40-year-old woman with longstanding GERD developed intermittent perceptions of cigarette smoke during a week of worsening heartburn and bloating. Episodes were accompanied by déjà vu, nausea, and chills. A double-contrast barium esophagram demonstrated a small hiatal hernia and reflux to the thoracic inlet. She reported approximately 80% improvement after starting omeprazole, with brief recurrence during a heartburn flare, and complete resolution at later follow-up. Migraine with aura, allergic rhinitis, focal seizures, and psychiatric causes were considered as alternative explanations.Conclusion
The close relationship between reflux activity and olfactory symptoms, together with improvement during reflux-directed treatment, supports a plausible association between GERD and phantosmia. This single case does not establish causation, and neurologic and sinonasal etiologies should remain part of the evaluation.
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BibTeX
@article{visak2026case,
title = {{Case Report: When reflux smells like smoke: a case of phantosmia associated with gastroesophageal reflux.}},
author = {Christopher Visak and Skylar Ketteler and Shireen Husami and Imran Shafqat},
journal = {Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fgstr.2026.1867837},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923111},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Case Report: When reflux smells like smoke: a case of phantosmia associated with gastroesophageal reflux.
AU - Christopher Visak
AU - Skylar Ketteler
AU - Shireen Husami
AU - Imran Shafqat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Frontiers in gastroenterology (Lausanne, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3389/fgstr.2026.1867837
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923111
AB - Background Phantosmia is the perception of an odor without an external stimulus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been associated with olfactory dysfunction, but phantosmia has rarely been described.Case presentation A 40-year-old woman with longstanding GERD developed intermittent perceptions of cigarette smoke during a week of worsening heartburn and bloating. Episodes were accompanied by déjà vu, nausea, and chills. A double-contrast barium esophagram demonstrated a small hiatal hernia and reflux to the thoracic inlet. She reported approximately 80% improvement after starting omeprazole, with brief recurrence during a heartburn flare, and complete resolution at later follow-up. Migraine with aura, allergic rhinitis, focal seizures, and psychiatric causes were considered as alternative explanations.Conclusion The close relationship between reflux activity and olfactory symptoms, together with improvement during reflux-directed treatment, supports a plausible association between GERD and phantosmia. This single case does not establish causation, and neurologic and sinonasal etiologies should remain part of the evaluation.
SN - 2813-1169
ER -