人们经常用狗鼻子来形容人的嗅觉。有些人的鼻子经常闻到异味，而身边的其他人却闻不到，这很可能不是鼻子灵敏，而是健康出现了问题。
Your nose may be able to tell you surprising things about your health.
你的鼻子可能会告诉你一些关于你的健康的惊人的事情。
Imagine smelling something that isn't there. Now imagine if these smells were always around, persisting through everyday life without any apparent reason.
想象一下，闻到一些不存在的东西。现在想象一下，如果这些气味一直存在，在日常生活中没有任何明显的原因。
These "phantom odors" occur when someone smells something, but there is nothing in the environment that corresponds to the often unpleasant odors. Though it may seem like a minor irritation, a persistent problem with smells can come with some risks and indicate other health issues, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
当有人闻到什么东西时，这些"幻影气味"就会出现，但环境中没有任何东西与这些令人不快的气味相对应。根据发表在《美国医学会杂志》上的一项新研究，尽管这看起来像是一种轻微的刺激，但是持续存在的气味问题可能带来一些风险，并预示着其他健康问题。
About one in 15 people in the study smelled phantom odors, according to researchers from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders who looked at national health survey records between 2011 and 2014 from more than 7,400 people over 40 years old.
根据国家耳聋和其他交流障碍研究所的研究人员说，该研究中约有十五分之一的人闻到了幻影气味，他们查阅了2011年至2014年间来自超过7,400
40岁以上人群的国家健康调查记录。
Who is most at risk
谁的风险最高
A particularly striking find in the thousands of records: About twice as many women as men reported phantom odors, especially those under age 60.
成千上万的记录中有一个特别惊人的发现：大约两倍于男性的女性报告了幻影气味，特别是那些60岁以下的女性。
There may be several explanations. Prior research suggests that women are generally better than men at naming odors, and women are more often negatively affected by odors around them. They may also have a heightened sense of smell and more likely to report a problem with phantom smells, according to past research.
可能有几种解释。之前的研究表明，女性通常比男性更善于识别气味，而且女性更容易受到周围气味的负面影响。根据过去的研究，她们也可能具有更强的嗅觉，更有可能报告有幻影气味的问题。
Other factors also affect whether people report phantom odors, such as head injury, dry mouth, poor overall health, among a list of other possible issues.
其他因素也会影响人们是否报告幻影气味，如头部受伤，口干，整体健康状况不佳等一系列可能的问题。
"Chronic nasal inflammation, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, and even having a bad cold can cause issues with our sense of smell," Dr. Benjamin S. Bleier, associate professor of otolaryngology and director of endoscopic skull base surgery at Harvard Medical School, told ABC News.
"慢性鼻腔炎症，鼻中隔偏曲，鼻息肉，甚至感冒都会导致我们的嗅觉问题，"哈佛医学院耳鼻喉科副教授、鼻内窥镜颅底外科主任Benjamin S. Bleier博士告诉ABC新闻。
Another surprising factor seemed to be socio-economic status. Researchers think people with lower socio-economic status may be more commonly exposed to environmental pollutants and toxins, or have health conditions that contribute to phantom odors -- and medications treating those health conditions could also cause the phenomenon.
另一个令人惊讶的因素似乎是社会经济地位。研究人员认为社会经济地位较低的人可能更容易接触到环境污染物和毒素，或者有导致幻影气味的健康状况 - 治疗这些健康状况的药物也可能导致这种现象。
How phantom odors happen
幻影气味如何发生的
The reasons behind phantom odors are a mystery.
幻影气味背后的原因是个谜。
"The condition could be related to overactive odor sensing cells in the nasal cavity or perhaps a malfunction in the part of the brain that understands odor signals," Dr. Kathleen Bainbridge of the epidemiology and biostatistics program at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health, said in a statement.
"这种情况可能与鼻腔中过度活跃的气味感应细胞有关，也可能与了解气味信号的大脑部分故障有关，"国家耳聋及其他交流障碍研究所流行病学和生物统计学项目的Kathleen Bainbridge博士在一份声明中说。
Genetic variation may also play a role. Several genes have been implicated this condition. However, further studies are needed to look at potential genetic factors associated with it.
遗传变异也可能发挥作用。有几个基因与这种情况有关。然而，需要进一步的研究来观察与之相关的潜在遗传因素。
"A good first step in understanding any medical condition is a clear description of the phenomenon," she added. "From there, other researchers may form ideas about where to look further for possible causes and ultimately for ways to prevent or treat the condition."
"了解任何一种疾病的第一步都是对这一现象的清晰描述，"她补充说。"从那以后，其他研究人员可能会想办法进一步寻找可能的原因，最终找到预防或治疗这种疾病的方法。"
This study didn't include information on other health conditions that could have helped explains the age, sex and income patterns that were described. It also did not look at anyone below the age of 40. Because it was limited to looking at data only from a specific survey and time period, it could not determine if other issues had occurred before or were diagnosed separately.
这研究未包括其他可能有助于解释所描述的年龄，性别和收入模式的健康状况的信息。该研究也没有关注40岁以下的人。由于仅限于从特定调查和时间段来查看数据，因此无法确定是否有其他问题以前发生过或单独诊断过。
Why phantom odors shouldn't be ignored
为什么不能忽视幻影气味
Phantom odors can decrease quality of life if left untreated.
如果不及时治疗，幻影气味会降低生活质量。
"Problems with the sense of smell are often overlooked, despite their importance. They can have a big impact on appetite, food preferences and the ability to smell danger signals such as fire, gas leaks and spoiled food," Dr. Judith A. Cooper, acting director the NIDCD said in a statement.
"嗅觉问题经常被忽视，尽管它们很重要。它们会对食欲，食物偏好以及闻到危险信号的能力产生重大影响，比如火灾、煤气泄漏和食物变质，" NIDCD代理主任Judith A. Cooper博士在一份声明中说。
This can especially be problematic for those who work in places that rely on our sense of smell, including those in the food and service industries.
对于那些在依赖嗅觉的地方工作的人，包括那些在食品和服务行业工作的人来说，这尤其成问题。
Phantom odors may also be a sign of a more serious health problem. Recent studies show that phantom odors can be an early marker of severe neurological conditions, which highlights the importance of seeking early intervention.
幻影气味也可能是更严重的健康问题的征兆。最近的研究表明，幻影气味可能是严重神经系统疾病的早期标志，这凸显了寻求早期干预的重要性。
The study found only 11 percent of people who report phantom odors have actually discussed a taste or smell problem with a doctor. "Most people who have this condition don't go to a physician," Bleier said. "The value of these studies is that they reveal findings of certain disease states that were not as previously well known."
该研究发现，只有11％报告幻影气味的人实际上已经与医生讨论过味觉或嗅觉问题。"大多数有这种症状的人不会去看医生，"Bleier说。"这些研究的价值在于它们揭示了一些以前不为人所知的疾病状态。"
The authors hope that increased awareness of phantom odors could prompt doctors to ask about them more, too, which could help more people with the problem receive accurate diagnosis and treatment.
作者希望提高对幻影气味的认识，可以促使医生更多地询问它们，这可以帮助更多有此问题的人获得准确的诊断和治疗。
