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What Causes a Loss (or Partial Loss) of Taste?
The most common taste disorder is phantom taste perception,orphantogeusia.
That’s usually true of taste loss related to COVID-19 too.
Uli Pfeiffer / Getty Images
Other conditions, such as a chronic illness likeParkinsons disease, may lead to a permanent change.
Olfactory cells are located high up in your nose.
They connect tonervesthat communicate with your brain.
Gustatory cells are clustered in your mouth (particularly yourtongue) and your throat.
As you smell and chew your food, the aroma is generated.
This activates your sense of smell, while the food mixed with saliva activates your taste senses.
It’s commonly assumed that different taste buds are located in different sections of the tongue.
But that’s not entirely true.
These taste groups include:
These five tastes differ in degree of intensity based on the taste buds.
How Common Is Losing Your Sense of Taste?
Take a diagnostic test to determine whether you are infected.
Diagnosing problems with taste or smell is generally uncomplicated.
Can Taste Loss Be Treated?
Losing your sense of taste or smell is usually only temporary, but sometimes it can be permanent.
Olfactory training (exposure to different smells to retrain your brain) and steroids may help.
Medications that cause dry mouth can lead to a loss of taste.
This is because saliva contains important chemical messengers for the brain to interpret tastes.
In this case, you could discuss a medication change with your healthcare provider.
Malnutrition and depression can result from prolonged or untreated loss of taste.
In most cases, your loss of taste will be temporary and does not suggest a serious problem.
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