Loss of smell and taste are disabilities to be taken seriously, however miserably not all doctors would agree ad patients often get little attention for these problems. It is believed that fifty percent of people over the age of sixty have a condensed sense of smell that has a considerable impact on their ability to taste.
The sense of smell is significant to identify danger in the environment, for example identifying smoke, leaking gas and rotten food. There for loss of smell has a huge impact. The cells which detect smell sit the very top of the nose and are connected to the nerves that venture directly into the brain.
These receptor cells are directly uncovered to the environment and can sustain injury. In about forty percent of abnormalities associated with sense of smell, nasal and sinus diseases, which include nasal polyps and allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, are to blame. Both the conditions interfere with smell sensation by directly obstructing and by inflaming the nasal lining.
The second most common cause that is guilty for about thirty percent of cases of loss of smell is head injury. It can be due to either automatic obstacle thwarting access of aroma to the smell receptors or the shaving of the nerves that carry smell signals to the brain.
In addition to that some degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other forms of dementia are also linked to loss of sense of smell, owing to nerve damage. Loss of taste can also occur, due to ageing, though not to same extent as smell.
It is worth seeking the advice of an ear, nose and throat specialist with an interest in the nose and sinuses. It may be possible that flu virus landed when someone was already suffering from mild allergic rhinitis or hidden nasal polypus and identification and treatment of these could make a lot of difference.
It is hoped that sufferer may need to be referred for more accurate and thorough diagnostic examination because it is only by bringing back the sense of smell that the sense of taste can recover.