What May Cause A Loss of Taste Or Smell?

Answer 1

4 years ago after an operation on the front of my neck to fuse cervical spine c-2 to c-5 , a week later I had no sense of smell or taste and it never came back. No doctor I gave gone to can find iu5 2hy. Ct scan and MRI of head and brain show no tumors. Cervical spine MRI shows no problems. Worse thing that could happen to someone, that you have no idea what you are eating or drinking. How can I cook when I cannot taste the food I am cooking? Any ideas of what I can do. At my wits end. Barbara

Comments

Hi Barbara, I'm sorry for what you've been through. The loss of sense of smell or taste is associated with impaired nerves, sometimes the impairment just can't reveal through all current available imaging tests.

Answer 2

I experienced the loss of a normal, accurate sense of smell since having a head cold and bronchitis some seven months ago. I tend to blame it on the nasal decongestant spray I used a few times. It was Flonase. I've had an MRI and CT scan with nothing showing up. The Otolarengologist told me he could do nothing else to help me. My question is whether or not examining my sinuses internally to see if any infection is present that wouldn't show up on either of the tests I had. He barely looked into my nostrils at my initial visit. Are my olfactory nerves permanently damaged? Can they regenerate over time?

Comments

The sense of smell may or may not come back, it's barely predictable. The loss of sense is generally related to nerve damage, further check-up for sinus infection may not be necessary since you've had both MRI and CAT scan, in my opinion. Yet it's your call to or not to take the further test.

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Did you ever get your sense of smell and taste back? I took Flonase for two sprays and it happened. I’m very upset

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The same thing happened to me after using Flonase. I stopped using the nasal spray and my taste returned to normal.

Answer 3

Some loss of taste and smell is natural with aging, especially after age 60. However, other factors can contribute to loss of taste and smell, including:

• Nasal and sinus problems, such as allergies, sinusitis or nasal polyps
• Certain medications, including beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
• Dental problems
• Cigarette smoking
• Head or facial injury or mass
• Alzheimer's disease
• Parkinson's disease

Loss of taste and smell can have a significant impact on quality of life, often leading to decreased appetite and poor nutrition. Sometimes loss of taste and smell contributes to depression. Loss of taste and smell also might tempt you to use excess salt or sugar on your food to enhance the taste — which could be a problem if you have high blood pressure or diabetes.

Comments

I'm a medical school student, not yet a practitioner. I share information with classic medical theory, but I don't make any diagnosis, Madam.

Answer 4

I have also lost my sense of taste and smell through a viral infection which caused congestion. I can get it back if I take a vitamin D pill which has magnesium and zinc. I don't know which ingredient is helping as Doc won't give me a blood test to determine what I'm lacking.

Comments

That sounds right. There's no need to test serum vitamin D, magnesium or zinc.  Serum levels do not reflect the real needs of the body.

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It is most likely the zinc that is helping. Just a suggestion, when your western medicine doctor can't help or won't listen to you, then it is time to find a holistic practioner, one who treats the whole body and not just mask or treats symptoms.