Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Taste disturbances may consist in the total abolition of the sense of taste, but also in the weakening or intensification of the perception of taste stimuli. Some of the causes of this problem lead to transient taste disturbances, while others may lead to a permanent loss of taste in patients. The problem is not, contrary to appearances, trivial - after all, patients who do not feel the taste of their food can drastically reduce the amount of food they eat.

Taste disturbanceis both a loss of taste and a hypersensitivity to taste, a change in the perception of taste and a weaker perception of tastes. Taste is one of the human senses. Taste stimuli arise primarily through the information received by the so-called taste buds. In general, there are five basic tastes: bitter, s alty, sweet, sour and so-called umami. However, it is not only the tongue that is responsible for the feeling of taste - the taste of the food we eat also depends on how our sense of smell works. Most likely many people are not aware of it, but in fact the sense of taste is very important. Patients who suffer from taste disturbances may even experience reluctance to eat meals - because of their existing problems, eating may not be attractive to them. Taste disturbances are not really a rare phenomenon - according to statistics, up to 15% of adults can struggle with them.

Taste disturbance: causes

The most common conditions that can lead to disturbances in the sense of taste include:

  • upper respiratory tract and middle ear infections
  • undergoing radiation therapy in the head or neck area
  • side effects of taking certain medications (e.g. antibiotics, antihistamines or acid-reducing agents)
  • head injuries
  • oral hygiene negligence
  • olfactory disorder
  • complications of procedures performed on the nose, ears or throat
  • age-related loss of taste sensing cells
  • using dentures
  • mineral deficiencies (e.g. zinc)
  • hormonal disorders (e.g. diabetes, hypothyroidism or hypogonadism)
  • pregnancy-related hormonal changes
  • inflammation of the tongue
  • diseasesneurological (e.g. multiple sclerosis)

Taste disturbance: symptoms and types

Taste disturbances range from a partial impairment of the perception of tastes (e.g. only s alty or sweet taste) to a complete abolition of their perception. For this reason, there are four main groups of taste disorders:

  • aguesia - not being able to feel the flavors
  • hypoguesia - partial weakening of the perception of tastes
  • dysguesia - incorrect perception of taste stimuli (the patient may experience unpleasant tastes, e.g. metallic or burnt)
  • hypererguesia (increased perception of taste stimuli)

Another possible taste disorder is also worth mentioning, which istaste hallucinations . They constitute a problem in the field of psychopathology, and the patients who experience them feel a taste in the absence of taste stimuli. In the case of taste hallucinations, patients usually complain that they experience some unpleasant taste sensations.

Taste disturbance: diagnosis

In the diagnosis of taste disorders, the most important information is the general he alth history of the patient, the medical history focuses primarily on the previously mentioned potential causes of this ailment. Otolaryngology specialists usually deal with the diagnosis of the problem. examination of the nasal cavity, and as mentioned, disturbances in the sense of smell can cause abnormal sense of taste. Occasionally, the taste disturbance occurs unexpectedly and is theoretically the only complaint that the patient has. In such people, it may become necessary to carry out extended diagnostics, such as performing imaging tests of the head and neck structures (in order to exclude, for example, proliferative processes within the central nervous system).

Taste disturbance: treatment

The therapy of taste disorders is based primarily on controlling the cause of their occurrence. In some situations, altered perception of taste stimuli is a temporary situation - this is the case, for example, in the case of inflammation of the respiratory tract, where the problem disappears after the infection has resolved. If the medications taken by the patient are responsible for the taste disturbances, discontinuing them may bring improvement - however, it should be strongly emphasized here that you should not discontinue any medications on your own, but only after obtaining the consent of the doctor. In some people - for example in elderly patients - the defects in the perception of taste are unfortunately irreversible. Such patients can be advised to enrich their meals as much as possible, it may bring beneficial resultsusing as many herbs as possible or taking care to diversify the color of food.

Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!

Category:

Neurology