reduction of the sense of smell. Hyposmia may be effective for all odors or for just some, and it may be two-sided or one-sided. Hyposmia occurs with the impairment of nasal breathing, acute or chronic inflammations of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity (due to the common cold), diseases of the peripheral part of the olfactory nerve, and afflictions of the olfactory center. Diagnosis is made by means of elementary odor tests or an olfactometer, a device that measures the keenness of the sense of smell. Therapy is ordinarily directed to elimination of the factor that has caused the hyposmia.