Lost your sense of smell?

Loss of these senses is a disability to be taken seriously, but sadly not all doctors would agree, and patients frequently get little attention for this problem.

It’s thought 50 per cent of people over the age of 60 have a reduced sense of smell, which has a significant impact on their ability to taste.

There used to be an old party trick where someone would be blindfolded and have their nose pinched.

They would then be given a piece of raw potato and a piece of apple to chew and asked to distinguish which was which; they always struggled with the challenge.

That’s because flavour is produced by the combination of taste, texture, temperature and smell, with the most important contribution coming from the food’s aroma.

Smell is also vital to identify dangers in our environment, for instance detecting smoke, rotten food and leaking gas. So loss of smell has a huge impact, but what causes this to happen?

The cells that detect smell lie at the very top of the nose, and are connected to nerves that project straight into the brain. These receptor cells are directly exposed to the environment and can sustain damage.

Nasal and sinus diseases are responsible for about 40 per cent of abnormalities of the sense of smell, and include infection, nasal polyps (swellings inside the nose) and allergic and non-allergic rhinitis (which cause the lining of the nose to become inflamed). These conditions interfere with smell sensation by both direct obstruction and also by inflaming the nasal lining.

Head injury is the second most common cause — responsible for about 30 per cent of cases of loss of smell. This can be due to either mechanical obstruction preventing access of aroma to the smell receptors, or the shearing of the nerves that carry smell signals to the brain.

Furthermore, some degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other forms of dementia are also associated with loss of sense of smell, due to nerve damage.

Our taste buds can also become damaged by a number of factors, including viral infections, some medicines (such as amphetamines) and inflammatory conditions in the mouth, such as severe acid reflux.

Loss of taste can also occur as we age, although not to the same degree as smell. Although your GP has engaged in what we doctors call ‘masterly inactivity’ — to allow spontaneous recovery to occur — I feel a second opinion is called for. It is worth seeking the advice of an ear, nose and throat specialist with an interest in the nose and sinuses.

It’s possible that the flu virus arrived when you were already suffering from mild allergic rhinitis, or even undetected nasal polyps, and identification and treatment of these could make a lot of difference.

You need a more precise and detailed diagnostic examination — I hope that you can be referred for this as it is only by restoring your sense of smell that your sense of taste can recover.

source: dailymail