Osmophobia

Osmophobia (oz′mō-fō′bē-ă, from Greek ὀσμή - osmē, "smell, odour" and φόβος - phobos, "fear" ) or olfactophobia (from Latin olfacto, "to smell at" ) refers to a fear, aversion, or psychological hypersensitivity to odors. The phobia generally occurs in chronic migraine sufferers who may have odor triggered migraines. Such migraines are most frequently triggered by foul odors, but the hypersensitivity may extend to all odors. One study found as many as 25% of migraine sufferers had some degree of osmophobia.

Some migraineurs treat their migraines with some success using pleasant odors, such as mint or lavender.

Osmophobia also refers to a thermodynamic force that contributes to protein folding. .