Loss of Taste and Smell: Anosmia, Loss of Smell & COVID-19

The medical term for a complete inability to taste is ageusia (uh-gyou-zee-uh). More people have hypogeusia, which means foods and drinks don't ... ThinkyoumayhaveCOVID-19? Findoutwhereyoucangettested Needavaccineorbooster? Nowschedulingforages6monthsandup ComingtoaClevelandCliniclocation? Visitationandmaskrequirements Home / HealthLibrary / Symptoms LossofTasteandSmell Yoursenseoftasteandsmellworktogethertohelpyouenjoyfoodsanddrinks.Whenyouloseyoursenseofsmell—duetoage,ahealthproblemoramedicine—foodscanseemtastelessorbland.LosingtasteandsmellcanbeanearlysymptomofaCOVID-19infection.Acompletelossofsmell(anosmia)orlossoftaste(ageusia)israre. Appointments&Access ContactUs Overview PossibleCauses CareandTreatment LossofTasteandSmell Overview PossibleCauses CareandTreatment BackToTop Overview Yoursenseofsmellandtasteworktogethertohelpyouenjoyfoodsanddrinks.Whenyouloseyoursenseofsmell—duetoage,ahealthproblemoramedicine—foodscanseemtastelessorbland.LosingtasteandsmellcanbeanearlysymptomofaCOVID-19infection.Acompletelossofsmell(anosmia)orlossoftaste(ageusia)israre. Howdoesthesenseofsmellwork? Moleculesintheairactivateyoursenseofsmell(olfaction).Thesemoleculesenteryournoseandmouth.Theyattachtoreceptorcellsinnasalmucusmembranes.Thereceptorssendmessagestoyourbrainthattellyouwhensomethinghasapleasantorfoularoma. Howdoesthesenseoftastework? Moleculesthatdissolveinliquidsactivateyoursenseoftaste(gustation).Tastebudsonyourtonguehavereceptorsthatrespondtosubstances.Youalsohavereceptorsontheroofofyourmouthandbackofyourthroat.Thereceptorssendmessagestoyourbrainthattellyouwhenfoodsordrinksaresweet,salty,sour,bitterorsavory(umami). What’sthelinkbetweentasteandsmell? Tasteandsmellarechemicalsensesthatworktogether.Whenyoucan’tsmellfoodsanddrinks,itaffectshowtheytaste.Thesecombinedsensesarehowyoutellthedifferencebetweencoffeeandteaorblueberriesandraspberries. Here’showthesesensesworktogether: Theactofeatingordrinkingreleasesmolecules. Thesemoleculesstimulatereceptorsinyournoseandmouth. Thereceptorssendmessagestoyourbrain. Yourbraincombinesthisinformationtohelpyourecognizeandenjoycomplexflavors. Whatislossofsmell? Manyconditionscanaffectyourolfactorysenses(senseofsmell).Youmayhavehyposmia(partiallossofsmell)oranosmia(completelossofsmell). Yourabilitytosmellgetsweakerafterage50.Nasalmembranesbecomethinneranddrier,andnervesdon’tworkaswell. Whatislossoftaste? It’suncommontoloseyourabilitytotaste.Mostoften,alossofsmellmakesfoodstastebland. Themedicaltermforacompleteinabilitytotasteisageusia(uh-gyou-zee-uh).Morepeoplehavehypogeusia,whichmeansfoodsanddrinksdon’ttasteasflavorfulastheyshould. Tastebudsbecomelesssensitiveafterage50.Foodsmaytastebitterevenwhenthey’renot.Youmayhaveahardertimetellingwhenthingsaresweetorsaltytoo. Howcommonislossofsmellortaste? Closetoaquarter-millionAmericansseetheirdoctoreveryyearforsmellortasteproblems.Expertsestimatethatmorethan1in10Americansmayhaveasmellortastedisorder,butfewseekhelp. PossibleCauses Whatcauseslossofsmellandtaste? Agingoftencontributestoadiminishedabilitytosmellandtaste.Othercausesinclude: Braininjuries. Cancertreatmentslikeradiationtherapy. DrymouthfromSjogren’ssyndromeorotherconditions. Exposuretochemicals. Gumdisease(gingivitis)andotherdentalproblems. Medications,suchasantibioticsandantidepressants. Nasalpolyps,sinusinfectionsandsinonasaltumors. NeurologicaldisorderslikeAlzheimer’sdiseaseandParkinson’sdisease. Viralrespiratoryinfections,includingthecold,fluandCOVID-19virus. Smoking. Thyroidproblemslikehypothyroidism(underactivethyroid). HowdoillnesseslikeCOVID-19causelossofsmellortaste? Somevirusesdamageolfactorysensoryneurons,nervesthathelpyousmell.Itmaytakemonthstorecoverfromthisdamage.Andbeingsickcanmakeithardtosmellifyournoseisstuffedup.WithCOVID-19,morethan8in10peoplemaybrieflylosetheirsenseofsmell.Alongwithit,theylosetheirabilitytotaste.ResearchersarestilltryingtodeterminehowandwhytheCOVID-19virusaffectssmellandtaste.Onestudysuggeststhevirusdoesn’tdirectlydamageolfactorysensoryneurons.Instead,itmayaffectcellsthatsupporttheseneurons.Oncetheinfectiongoesaway,theolfactorynervestartsworkingproperlyagain.Mostpeopleregainthesesenseswithin60daysofrecoveringfromCOVID-19. Canlossofsmellortastecausecomplications? Whenyoursenseofsmellortastedeclines,mealslosetheirappeal.Eatingtoolittlecanputyouatriskformalnutrition,dehydrationandunhealthyweightloss.Togivefoodflavor,youmayaddtoomuchsugarorsalt.Theseadditionscanincreaseyourriskofdiabetesandhighbloodpressure. Lackofsmellandtasteputsyouatriskforfoodpoisoningbecauseyoucan’ttellwhenfoodshavespoiled.Youalsomaynotbeabletosmellfireandsmoke,naturalgasorharmfulchemicalsinyourhomeorsurroundings. Alackofappetitecombinedwithaninabilitytosmellpleasurablescentsmaycontributetodepression. CareandTreatment Howislossofsmellortastediagnosed? Yourhealthcareproviderwillconductaphysicalexamandaskaboutothersymptomslikenasalcongestion(astuffynose).Youshouldtellyourhealthcareprovideraboutanyrecentrespiratoryinfections,headinjuriesorotherproblems.Theyalsoneedacompletelistofmedicationsandsupplementsyoutake. Youmayseeanotolaryngologist(anear,noseandthroatorENTdoctor).Thishealthcareprovidermaygiveyouasmelltest.Yousniffandidentifydifferentscents.Ortheymayhaveyousniffachemical.Yourdoctordilutesthesubstanceuntilyoucannolongersmellit. Foratastetest,youmaysamplesubstancesapplieddirectlytoyourtongue.Oryoumaysipdifferentflavoredliquidsandspitthemout.Yourhealthcareprovidermayincreasethestrengthofthesolutionsoraskyoutonotedifferencesbetweendifferentflavors.Dependingonyoursymptoms,yourhealthcareprovidermayorderimagingtestsofyourheadandbrain.ACTscanorMRIcanidentifycysts,tumorsandotherproblems. Howdodoctorstreatalossofsmellortaste? Whenpossible,yourhealthcareproviderwilltreattheproblemthat’saffectingyoursenses.Ifyou’retakingasupplementormedicationthatcanaffectyoursenses,youmayneedtochangeittoseeifthatheightensthem.Unfortunately,peopledon’talwaysgettheirsenseofsmellortasteback. Youcantakethesestepstomakemealsmorepleasurable: Addsmallamountsofstrongcheese,baconortoastednutstodishes. Usearomaticherbs,seasoningsandspices(notsalt)toboostflavor. Servefoodsthathavedifferenttexturesandcolors. Skipdisheslikecasseroles,whichcombinealotoffoods,becausethemixturedilutesflavors. AnotefromClevelandClinic Youshouldtellyourhealthcareproviderifyouexperiencealossofsmellortaste.Whileitcanbenormal,especiallyasyougetolder,thesesymptomscansometimesindicateahealthproblemoramedicationsideeffect.Treatingahealthconditionorchangingmedicationsmayhelpyouregainsomeorallofyourlostsenseofsmellortaste. Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Getuseful,helpfulandrelevanthealth+wellnessinformation enews ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy RelatedInstitutes&Services Head&NeckInstitute Ourprovidersspecializeinheadandnecksurgeryandoncology;facialplasticandreconstructivesurgery;generalotolaryngology;laryngology;otology,neurotologyandlateralskullbasedisorders;pediatricotolaryngology;rhinology,sinusandskullbasesurgery;surgicalsleep;dentistryandoralandmaxillofacialsurgery;andalliedhearing,speechandbalanceservices. NeurologicalInstitute TheNeurologicalInstituteisaleaderintreatingandresearchingthemostcomplexneurologicaldisordersandadvancinginnovationsinneurology. ClevelandClinicisanon-profitacademicmedicalcenter.Advertisingonoursitehelpssupportourmission.Wedonotendorsenon-ClevelandClinicproductsorservices. Policy Morehealthnews+info ShowMore Appointments&Access ContactUs Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest Snapchat