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Can a loss of smell affect your taste?
What happens if you lose your sense of smell?
Can a loss of smell cause anosmia?
Is a change in your sense of smell serious?
Can a cold cause a loss of smell?
What if you can't smell?
A change in your sense of smell can be unpleasant and affect how things taste. But it's not usually serious and may get better in a few weeks or months. Causes of lost or changed sense of smell. Changes in sense of smell are most often caused by: illnesses such as a cold, flu or COVID-19; sinusitis (sinus infection) an allergy, like hay fever
- Nasal Polyps
a reduced sense of smell or taste; snoring; Nasal polyps can...
- Nasal Polyps
- Overview
- What causes loss of smell?
- Life without smell
- Complications of anosmia
- Coping with anosmia
Overview
A well-functioning sense of smell is something most people take for granted, until it’s lost. Losing your sense of smell, known as anosmia, impacts not only your ability to detect odors, but also other areas of your life. Many individuals report a decreased quality of life with both temporary and permanent anosmia.
Anosmia may be temporary or permanent. Common causes include:
•allergies
•colds or flu
•sinus infections
•chronic congestion
Other conditions that might affect your sense of smell are:
Larry Lanouette temporarily lost his sense of smell due to the effects of chemotherapy. Anosmia significantly altered his sense of taste and his ability to enjoy eating. He tried to draw on his memory to make eating more pleasant.
“When I’d eat food, I remembered what it was supposed to taste like, but it was a total illusion,” he said. “Eating became something I had to do because I needed to, not because it was an enjoyable experience.”
Larry’s food of choice during his cancer battle was canned peaches. “I wanted to enjoy their scent but couldn’t,” he recalls. “I would conjure up memories of my grandma’s peach cobbler so I could enjoy the experience.”
When once asked what he’d like to eat for dinner, Larry replied, “It doesn’t matter. You can put anything in a skillet and fry it up, and I wouldn’t know the difference.”
Smelling a carton of milk or leftovers to see if they’ve spoiled was impossible. Larry had to have someone do it for him.
Eating wasn’t the only thing affected by Larry’s loss of the ability to smell. He said not being able to smell the outdoors was one of the things he missed the most. He recalls leaving the hospital after an extended stay, anticipating smelling the fresh air and flowers. “I couldn’t smell a thing,” he reveals. “I could only feel the sun on my face.”
Ten things you may experience if you lose your sense of smell:
1.an inability to taste food, which can lead to eating too much or too little
2.an inability to smell spoiled food, which can lead to food poisoning
3.increased danger in the event of a fire if you cannot smell smoke
4.losing the ability to recall smell-related memories
5.loss of intimacy due to the inability to smell perfume or pheromones
Losing your sense of smell is traumatic, but there is hope. According to the New York Otolaryngology Group, half of all anosmia cases can be treated and reversed with nonsurgical therapies. Symptoms and the effects of loss of sense of smell can be reduced in most other instances with coping strategies.
- Annette Mcdermott
- 6
Aug 4, 2005 · Loss of smell. Causes. By Mayo Clinic Staff. A stuffy nose from a cold is a common cause for a partial, brief loss of smell. A polyp or swelling inside the nose can lead to a loss of smell. Aging can cause a loss of smell, especially after age 60. What is smell?
- Conditions that cause temporary irritation or congestion of the mucous membranes lining the inside of your nose are the most common cause of loss o...
- Conditions or obstructions that block the flow of air through your nose can include: 1. Bony deformity inside your nose 2. Nasal polyps 3. Tumors
- Less commonly, the nerves leading to the olfactory center of the brain or to the brain itself can be damaged or deteriorate due to: 1. Aging 2. Alz...
Oct 30, 2023 · Anosmia is when you can’t detect an odor, whether it comes from pies fresh from the oven or smelly socks piled in a corner. It’s usually a temporary side effect of a cold or sinus infection. Our sense of smell fades as we age, so people age 50 and older may have long-lasting anosmia.
Oct 24, 2023 · If you experience a loss of smell that you can't attribute to a cold or allergy or which doesn't get better after a week or two, tell your doctor. Your doctor can take a look inside your...
- Hedy Marks
Aug 30, 2019 · Anosmia is the partial or complete loss of the sense of smell. This loss may be temporary or permanent. Common conditions that irritate the nose’s lining, such as allergies or a cold, can lead to...
Oct 8, 2022 · Many conditions can temporarily or permanently cause anosmia. More rarely, a decreased sense of smell can signal the start of a serious condition such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease. Some people are born with a diminished or heightened ability to smell as compared to others.
