How to restore the sense of taste and smell during a cold? Loss of taste

A runny nose is known to dull the perception of food. But sometimes even stranger things happen: a bad taste appears in your mouth or the food tastes different. Should we pay attention to such changes?

Such different food
According to ancient Indian treatises on Ayurveda, the science of life, any food should contain six basic tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, salty, pungent and astringent. A “skew” towards one particular taste leads to the fact that the dish is poorly absorbed by the body.

Bitter taste is inherent in many seasonings. Citrus zest gives off a bitter taste. Bitter dishes slightly quench thirst on warm days, help with indigestion, and stimulate appetite. Excess bitter taste makes a person more excited, nervous and dries out the skin.

The sweet taste causes a surge of strength and good mood, which helps improve digestion. But “chronic” sweet tooths run the risk of gaining weight. Excess carbohydrates cause skin damage.

Sour taste is one of the main ones in national cuisine. Our ancestors treated food poisoning with sour dishes, believing that acid cleanses the intestines and helps remove harmful substances from it. Tomatoes, lemons, some varieties of grapes and apples are naturally acidic. Excess acid in the body relaxes the intestines and contributes to the appearance of edema.

Salty taste is also among the favorites of national cuisine. But don't overdo it! Salt dehydrates the skin, causing premature aging and, as a result, the appearance of wrinkles. For the kidneys, too salty food is a big burden.

Spicy taste is more of a part of Indian national cuisine. Hindus love to have everything on fire in their mouth! Why? Spicy seasonings help disinfect the digestive system, which is very important in hot climates. Spicy - well-known radish and garlic. Eating spicy food is not recommended for those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The astringent taste in our minds is strongly associated with unripe persimmons and bananas. Potatoes and legumes are knitted a little. Astringent products help heal wounds, but they are difficult to digest. Their excessive consumption leads to vasoconstriction.

Sweet or bitter?
If you have a sweet taste in your mouth no matter what you eat, you should check your blood sugar levels - this is one of the symptoms of insulin-dependent diabetes.

A bitter taste indicates problems with the gallbladder. It is possible that stones or stagnation of bile have formed in it.

With increased acidity and peptic ulcers, everything seems sour. Don’t delay visiting a doctor and getting your stomach examined!

If you experience sweet and sour tastes more acutely than usual, it may be worth getting your kidney function checked.

Taking certain medications—especially antibiotics—can cause a bad taste in your mouth. Perhaps these drugs disrupt the microflora of the oral cavity.

It also happens that a person complains not about a change in taste, but about its “muffledness.” The food is the same, but not as tasty as before. Often such complaints come from older people. Unfortunately, this is normal. The taste buds located on the tongue are not as sensitive in old age as in younger years. Most often, those who have preferred too spicy food all their lives lose the brightness of their taste sensations. The acuity of taste perception is also reduced in heavy smokers and in people suffering from respiratory diseases.

An alarming symptom is the lack of sensitivity of part of the tongue. This may indicate damage to a specific area of the brain. The conclusion suggests itself: if you are constantly worried about changes in your usual taste sensations, you should consult a specialist!

Each of us at least once in our lives felt that the sense of taste in our mouth was lost. This usually occurs during the flu or cold, when viruses that cause a runny nose attack the taste buds responsible for detecting taste. In this case, taste sensations return after successful treatment of the underlying disease.

It is much worse if the cause of the disease is problems associated with the activity of the cerebral cortex or other, no less serious diseases.

When they talk about the disappearance of taste, they first of all mean the inability of a person to receive the sensation that is formed during the contact of food or other substance with the taste buds that are located in the mouth and pharynx. It also often refers to the inability of the taste analyzer to perceive the characteristics of food, which form not only taste buds, but also the sense of smell and touch (temperature, composition, consistency, spiciness of the product).

This dependence of the taste organ on other sensations is explained by the fact that taste buds are capable of perceiving only four tastes: bitter, sour, salty (Asian scientists also distinguish the taste of umami). At the same time, a single highly sensitive fiber is capable of responding to only one type of irritant, and the food that interacts with the taste buds must be moistened (if it enters the oral cavity dry, it is moistened by saliva).

Taste buds are collected in special taste buds (bulbs): large ones can contain about five hundred sensitive cells, small ones - only a few. They are located mainly on the tongue, and to a much lesser extent on the cheeks, pharynx, and larynx. Supersensitive cells do not live long, about two weeks, but there is no need to worry about the loss of taste buds with their death: the dead cell is immediately replaced by a new one.

Signals about food, which are identified by receptors, enter the cerebral cortex through the glossopharyngeal, facial and vagus nerves along a complex system of nerve fibers. First, taste data ends up in the brain stem, then in the thalamus, a part of the cerebral cortex that acts as a taste analyzer, identifying taste and its shades.

To do this, the sensation of basic taste is mixed with data obtained from the organs of smell, touch, and nerve cells that respond to painful stimuli. After that, the information is analyzed in the cerebral cortex and the result is produced.

Causes

If at some stage along the way (the fibers of the facial and glossopharyngeal nerves are considered especially vulnerable), damage to the connecting elements occurs, the person’s taste worsens or even completely disappears. Taste disturbances are divided into three main types:

Ageusia - the symptoms of this disease appear immediately: taste sensations disappear completely;
Hypogeusia – there is only a partial loss of taste, so the symptoms are not immediately recognized;
Dysgeusia - taste is not perceived correctly, the main symptoms for which you should be wary are when sour seems bitter or vice versa, etc.

The reasons why a person ceases to perceive taste can be very different. Sometimes this happens when it is difficult to deliver the product to the taste bud or when there is a violation during their contact (often happens with inflammation of the tongue, gums, salivary glands, lack of saliva).

The ability of receptors to perceive the taste of food decreases if the rules of oral hygiene are not followed, as well as with the development of caries.

The reason for the partial or complete absence of taste sensations are infectious diseases of the oral cavity such as gingivitis, candidiasis, periodontitis or fungal diseases affecting the tongue: due to the fact that they directly affect the taste buds, substances with an unpleasant taste appear in the mouth.

Often the taste disappears as a result of taking antibiotics, as well as medications that reduce the amount of saliva or slow down cell regeneration. Smokers' taste is often impaired: smoking burns taste buds. The cause of loss of taste can also be diseases of the upper respiratory tract, as well as colds, flu and other diseases that dull the sense of smell.

Another reason for the lack of taste in the mouth is damage to the nerves through which signals are transmitted to the cerebral cortex, or due to brain damage (this can be a consequence of benign and malignant tumors, or injury). Often taste buds distort the perception of taste during ear infections and middle ear surgery: the main nerve that connects the brain with taste buds passes through it.

Diagnostics

Since the reasons that influence the fact that taste buds completely or partially lose their abilities, despite similar symptoms, can be very different, you should not treat yourself, and to determine an accurate diagnosis you need to consult a doctor. It is advisable to first consult with a therapist, since the causes of loss of taste are not always related to dentistry.

To test the sense of smell, the doctor can use various odorous substances (fragrant oils, cloves, coffee). The ability of the receptors to perceive sweet taste will be shown by sugar, sour - lemon juice, salty - salt, bitter - aspirin, aloe or quinine.

Before prescribing an additional examination, the doctor will make sure whether the lack of taste is a consequence of an infectious disease of the oral cavity or whether it was caused by an insufficient amount of saliva. If the diagnosis cannot be made immediately, the doctor will order a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain before prescribing treatment.

Treatment and prevention

If the loss of the sense of taste was caused by taking medication during treatment of the underlying disease, the doctor will replace it with another drug (if its use is still necessary). After a detailed examination, the doctor will prescribe treatment and tell you what needs to be done to increase the perception of taste in the mouth:

To enhance the taste, treatment often involves increasing the use of spices; hot pepper, mustard, and lemon juice help well. To constantly maintain the desired level of humidity, you can suck on lollipops;
If loss of taste is associated with poor condition of teeth and gums, you need to consult a dentist for treatment and resume proper oral care;
If a decrease in taste was caused by an infection or medication during treatment, you need to rinse your mouth with a saline solution, this can be done by adding one tablespoon of salt to a glass of warm water: this will restore the receptors and reduce inflammation;
If the mouth disease is caused by a fungal infection, for successful treatment you need to use a special rinse prescribed by your doctor;
If a person smokes, this habit needs to be quit: smoking destroys taste buds and causes their inflammation (the longer the smoker is, the worse the perception of taste);
It is necessary to develop a diet taking into account the characteristics of the body: a lack of vitamins A, B12, zinc, iron, folic acid and other minerals dulls the sense of taste. During treatment, you need to take them in the quantity strictly specified by your doctor, since excess can also cause harm.

A person studies the world around him, draws information from it thanks to the ability to see, hear, touch, and also smell and taste. If the function of one of the sense organs is impaired, the quality of life is significantly reduced. For example, delicious, fresh food brings pleasure and pleasure. It is very important that the ability to perceive taste is necessary for identifying the food consumed, assessing its quality, and helps a person eliminate the consumption of spoiled foods that are hazardous to health.

It often happens that this ability is impaired and a person ceases to feel the taste of food. This condition is called hypogeusia. Most often, this goes away quickly without additional medical intervention.
However, in some cases, hypogeusia is a manifestation of pathological processes in the body and is a symptom of a serious disease. You can’t do this without the help of a doctor.

Let's talk on the www.site about the reasons for the loss of taste of food, the reasons, what to do, how hypogeusia is treated. Let's start our conversation with the most common reasons for this phenomenon:

Loss of taste - reasons

Most often, a change, disturbance, or loss of taste in the mouth occurs as a result of smoking tobacco, which dries out the tongue, affecting the taste buds. Very often the cause is alcoholism and drug use.

Taking certain medications has an effect, in particular lithium, penicillamine, rifampicin, as well as captopril, vinblastine, antithyroid drugs, etc.

Causes associated with pathological conditions:

Damage, changes in the tissues of the taste bud, as well as dysfunction of the receptor cells that make up the epithelium of the tongue (sensory disorders).

Pinching, injury to the nerve on which the identification of tastes depends. Facial nerve paralysis. This pathological condition is characterized by increased salivation, loss, and taste disturbances.

Trauma to the skull, namely, a fracture of its base when the cranial nerve is damaged. In this case, partial agenesis (loss of taste) often occurs - a person loses the ability to distinguish most mixed tastes, except for simple ones: salty, sour, bitter, sweet.

Viral colds and infectious diseases.

Benign tumors, oncological diseases of the oral cavity. These pathologies destroy taste buds.

Fungal diseases of the oral mucosa (thrush).

Sjögren's syndrome is a serious genetic disorder.

Acute form of viral hepatitis.

Side effects from radiation therapy.

Lack of vitamins (minerals), especially zinc.

If there is a loss of taste, what to do about it?

Drug treatment

In case of persistent, long-term violation, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe an examination to determine the cause of the violation. If an underlying disease is detected, treatment will be carried out by an appropriate specialist. Once the root cause is eliminated, the taste will be restored.

For example, in the presence of an inflammatory or infectious disease, the patient is prescribed therapy using antibiotics: rhithromycin, caltopril or methicillin, etc.

In case of hypovitaminosis, the necessary preparations of vitamins and minerals are prescribed. For example, in case of zinc deficiency, it is recommended to take the drug Zincteral.

If loss of taste in food occurs while taking medications, this medicine is changed to another from the same group. If this is not possible, the doctor will change the dosage and treatment regimen.

You can restore normal taste sensations with the help of medication. For example, according to indications, the doctor may prescribe an artificial saliva substitute, or a drug that stimulates its production. To eliminate the disorder and additionally moisturize the oral cavity, the drug Hyposalix is often used.

Loss of taste - prevention

To avoid the development of hypogeusia, it is enough to follow simple rules:

Quit smoking, alcohol, drugs, lead a healthy lifestyle.

Eat properly, fortified foods without dyes, flavor enhancers, etc.

Do not eat food or drinks that are too hot or too cold.

Follow the rules of personal hygiene, in particular, when brushing your teeth every day, be sure to clean the surface of your tongue.

We talked about why loss of taste in food occurs, and what treatment helps with this. You also need to remember that any taste sensation is associated with various factors: psychological, emotional or physiological. Therefore, at different periods a person can experience both pleasure from food and aversion to it. Under certain circumstances, we generally absorb food without feeling its taste. So these factors also need to be taken into account. Be healthy!

Throughout life, every person periodically faces such an unpleasant phenomenon as loss of taste. This condition can be temporary, after a person has damaged the mucous membrane of the tongue with hot or open food, or it can last for a long time. In the latter case, a full examination is necessary to exclude serious diseases.

Causes of loss of taste

The diagnosis of “hypogeusia” is made to the patient if he experiences a change in taste sensations. Changes in taste can be of different nature:

Injuries to the taste buds on the tongue. Occurs with burns of the mucous membrane and mechanical damage. Experts equate this ailment to transport losses.
Damage to receptor cells. This phenomenon already applies to sensory disorders.
Diseases of a neurological nature in which there is atrophy of the afferent nerve or dysfunction of the taste analyzer.

The reasons for the loss of taste in food can be completely different. This phenomenon can be provoked by serious diseases and a lack of certain substances in the body:

Facial nerve paralysis. With this pathology, there is a violation of the sensitivity of the very tip of the tongue.
Traumatic brain injury. In this case, a person cannot identify complex taste compositions. At the same time, it distinguishes sweet, salty, bitter and sour tastes well.
Colds. In this case, it may happen that senses such as smell are lost, which is associated with severe swelling of the nasopharynx.
Cancers of the tongue. Most often, the tumor develops closer to the base of the tongue, on the side. This leads to the death of taste buds. The disease is accompanied by pain and bad breath.
Geographical language. This original name characterizes inflammation of the papillae of the tongue. With this disease, spots of different sizes and shapes appear on the surface of the tongue.
Oral candidiasis. It is manifested by the appearance of a cheesy layer on the tongue and oral mucosa. When the plaque is removed, bleeding ulcers appear. The disease occurs with a disturbance in the sense of taste.
Sjögren's disease. This is a genetic disease in which the functioning of the glands is disrupted. Due to a lack of saliva, the oral mucosa dries out and becomes susceptible to infections. With this syndrome, patients cannot taste food.
Hepatitis. In the acute course of the disease, dyspeptic symptoms are observed, which are accompanied by a change in taste perception.
Side effects from radiation therapy. After treating oncology with this method, patients experience a lack of taste.
Deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals. It has been revealed that problems with taste can be caused by a deficiency of zinc and vitamin B.
Side effects from medications. Some antibiotics, antidepressants, antihistamines and vasoconstrictor nasal drops can lead to this unpleasant phenomenon.
Long-term smoking. We are talking not only about cigarettes, but also about a pipe. Tobacco smoke is a toxic compound and leads to atrophy of the taste buds on the tongue.

The reason that the taste has changed can be any injury to the pharynx, nose and head in general. Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis.

If a small child complains that he has lost taste, do not rush to conclusions. Kids sometimes get cunning when they don’t want to eat this or that dish.

Clinical picture

Ageusia can be general, selective and specific. With general ageusia, the patient does not feel taste at all; with the selective form, the person feels only some tastes. With a specific form, a change in taste is possible only when consuming certain products.

In addition, dysgeusia may develop under the influence of negative factors. With this disease, certain taste qualities are incorrectly perceived. Most often, sour and bitter tastes are confused.

If a person has lost his taste, then at the same time he may experience a loss of smell and a feeling of nasal congestion. In some people, ageusia is accompanied by weakness and irritability.

If the cause of a change in taste sensations is a traumatic brain injury, then headache, dizziness and impaired coordination of movements may simultaneously occur.

Diagnostics

Although loss of taste is not considered a critical condition, it requires mandatory consultation with a doctor.. Initially, the doctor determines the patient’s level of sensitivity to certain tastes. The patient is asked to determine the taste of different substances one by one. Based on the results of this testing, the doctor determines the nature of the damage to the taste buds.

The doctor collects anamnesis, asking the patient whether he has had traumatic brain injuries and whether he suffers from neurological diseases. Oncological diseases treated with radiation therapy are also taken into account.

The specialist pays attention to the medications the patient is taking. Taking some of them is accompanied by side effects in the form of impaired taste.

If necessary, a computed tomography scan is prescribed. It reflects the state of the brain and nasal appendages. The patient may be referred for consultation to a dentist if there are signs of stomatitis.

A detailed blood test and allergy tests are prescribed. They allow you to determine the inflammatory process in the body and identify susceptibility to irritants. If it is not possible to determine the cause of the violations, then a re-diagnosis is carried out after a couple of weeks.

Taste sensations can change during pregnancy, during menopause and in other cases when hormonal balance is disturbed.

Treatment

The treatment regimen is determined after the diagnosis has been made. Depending on the cause of the change in taste sensations, the following medications may be prescribed:

For dry mucous membranes caused by insufficient saliva production, it is advisable to prescribe artificial saliva preparations. These include Salivart.
The patient is advised to frequently rinse his mouth with a soda solution or Chlorophyllipt solution.
For stomatitis and other fungal diseases, antifungal agents are prescribed - Clotrimazole or Nystatin.
If there is a lack of vitamins and minerals, a course of multivitamin complexes is prescribed.
For neurological disorders, it is enough to drink decoctions of medicinal herbs. Suitable herbs with a sedative effect are mint, motherwort, hops and valerian.
To improve the taste of food, add cinnamon, cloves, mustard and ground pepper.

To prevent disturbances in taste perception, you should regularly clean the surface of your tongue with a brush or special device.

Loss of taste may be associated with neurological disorders and diseases of the oropharynx. Fungal infections and a lack of minerals in the body often provoke the problem.

Impaired sense of taste is dangerous primarily because a person loses the ability to identify spoiled foods, may inadvertently taste poison, or fail to recognize acid. In some cases, this indicates problems in the central parts of the brain or other serious diseases. Therefore, if the taste does not return within several days, measures must be taken immediately.

A violation of the sense of taste is a condition when it is difficult, and in some cases impossible, for a person to determine the taste of a substance using receptor cells. The disease can occur when taste buds or nerves that are responsible for transmitting impulses to the brain are damaged; if there are problems in the cerebral cortex, taste sensations often disappear due to the lack of smell.

Taste is the feeling that appears when exposed to the taste buds located in the oral cavity of various substances, which, with the help of the facial, glossopharyngeal or vagus nerves, transmit information to the cerebral cortex, where it, after analyzing the information and combining it with data received from the olfactory organ and with other sensations, produces the result.

Taste buds can distinguish only four (according to another classification - five) tastes: sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and umami. Taste acquires its hue when basic sensations are combined with the density, temperature, acidity, and spiciness of food, which are perceived by the oral cavity, primarily the tongue, and also the olfactory organ.

Of the twelve thousand taste buds that are in the oral cavity, ten thousand are located on the tongue, the rest are on the cheeks, palate, larynx, epiglottis, and pharynx.

They are neuroepithelial cells collected in papillae (from several pieces in small bulbs, to five hundred in large bulbs). Most of the bulbs are concentrated at the tip of the tongue; as they approach the root of the tongue, their number decreases.

A hole is formed in the center of the bulb, through which each receptor located in it brings out the finest villi, which, when in contact with a chemical substance, are responsible for identifying taste. A single receptor is capable of recognizing only one taste (sweet, salty, bitter, sour), so they are collected into one bulb only with those receptors that are capable of perceiving the same sensations as them.

The lifespan of the receptor is short: it lives no longer than fourteen days, and after it dies, it is replaced by another, which is the reason that with age a person’s taste preferences often change (in this case, the sense of smell also plays an important role).

Each taste bud is connected to the central nervous system by nerve fibers that send information about the identified taste. First, the impulses enter the brain stem, after which they go to the thalamus, the part of the brain where the final processing of information occurs and taste and its shade are determined.

Impaired sense of taste

A person is not able to identify taste until the analyzer located in the cerebral cortex detects it. Therefore, a change in taste sensations can signal quite serious problems. These could be neurological disorders, a brain tumor, cranial nerve disease, head injury, or cerebrovascular accident. Sometimes the taste is partially lost and restored after some time, sometimes completely and irreversibly.

When they talk about problems in the perception of taste, they mean the following types of diseases:

Ageusia – taste is completely absent;
Hypogeusia – taste is felt, but weaker than usual;
Dissociated hypogeusia - receptors determine taste sensations, but not all;
Dysgeusia is a change in the sense of taste, often manifested as a metallic or sour taste in the mouth, sometimes a burning sensation is felt;
Parageusia - when one sensation is replaced by another (sour is confused with bitter);
Fantageusia - a non-existent taste is felt.

Causes

One of the main causes of loss of taste is a cold or flu: a severe runny nose often dulls or even completely deprives the sense of taste. This happens because the viruses that cause a runny nose also infect the taste buds, causing them to lose the ability to perceive the necessary feeling.

Also, one of the reasons for changes in taste sensations is allergies, which stuff up the nose and interfere with the full perception of taste, depriving food of aroma.

Often the cause of a weakening of the sense of taste is saliva, or rather, its absence or a small amount. In order for the receptors to correctly identify the taste of food, it should not be dry: even a cracker that ends up in the mouth is instantly moistened with saliva. If there is no saliva at all (due to dehydration), the taste receptors will not detect it; if there is only a little saliva, they will perceive it, but incorrectly.

Another reason that can change the perception of taste beyond recognition is oral disease - inflammation of the gums, tooth roots, caries. Sometimes a person loses feeling due to blockage of receptors by bacteria. Dentures also contribute, because they are extremely irritating to the mouth because they block receptors on the hard palate, which is why the patient adds more spices to food to compensate for the weakened taste.

Taste disturbances can be caused by hormonal imbalances that occur in women during pregnancy or the menstrual period.

Often the cause is the use of antibiotics, drugs that reduce saliva production, as well as drugs that slow down cell regeneration, including antitumor drugs.

Taste can be lost due to radiation therapy of the oral cavity and pharynx, benign and malignant tumors, diseases of the endocrine system, diabetes, problems with the digestive tract, poisoning with heavy metal salts or alcohol abuse. Poor nutrition, especially a lack of vitamins A and B12, and zinc deficiency, can also affect the sense of taste.

Also, weakening of taste often comes with age. In this case, its partial loss is usually observed, when the perception of salty and bitter deteriorates, while this almost does not affect sweets. In addition, with age, taste buds atrophy due to heavy smoking, as well as when eating food that contains substances that irritate the nerve endings (spicy, peppery dishes).

Treatment

If you lose your sense of taste, you should take into account that this problem is not so much a dental problem as a general medical one, so if such a disease occurs, you should consult a therapist and it is advisable not to hesitate. Any taste disorder, especially one that occurs suddenly, without any apparent reason, is a reason to undergo a comprehensive examination, especially if after the first tests the doctor finds it difficult to make a diagnosis.

The doctor will be able to prescribe treatment only after the cause of the loss of taste has been determined. When the underlying disease is cured, the sense of taste usually returns. To restore taste sensations, doctors often conduct a psychological assessment of the patient, while giving several important tips:

First of all, the patient is explained how taste recognition occurs and how this is affected by temperature, density, and spiciness of food. This knowledge often contributes to improving the perception of taste.
The patient is also advised to learn to enjoy the aroma of food: this affects the sense of smell, which has a direct interaction with the taste analyzer.
The basic rule that must be followed is the need to eat only fresh, high-quality food and ensure that it does not spoil during storage in the refrigerator. Otherwise, if the taste is impaired, you can eat a spoiled product and become poisoned by it.