NOSE CONDITIONS
Symptoms, causes and treatments of common nose illnesses, conditions and procedures
Adenoids are small glands at the back of the nose, known as the nasopharynx. In younger children, they help fight germs. After the age of about three years, the adenoids are thought to be no longer needed.
Your body can still fight germs without your adenoids. There is no good evidence that taking them out affects your immune system or makes infections more likely. Adenoids probably only help fight infection during the first three years of life. After that, they can be removed if they are doing more harm than good.
Anosmia is the medical name for the loss or lack of the sense of smell. There are different medical terms for other changes in the sense of smell. Some healthcare professionals refer to the above as "smell disorders".
​Sometimes it is not possible to find the cause of the sense of smell changing or being lost – in fact, a cause may not be found in up to 1 in 5 people.