My husband is 44 years old. He has hearing problems.
A year ago my husband lost all taste and smell with a cold and has not
regained them. He is a LPN yet he refuses to go to the doctor for fear
it has something to do with his brain. He thinks there is no help.
I thought it might be the melotonin he was taking in large quanities so
I made him stop. I have tried super vitamins , zinc and herbal remedies
with no help. He doesn't want to eat and losing weight. He used to drink
HEAVY ,but hasn't drink in 1 year & six months.
Will you please help me or give me some causes it could be , what kind
of doctor to see , some encouragement fom you might help me to get him
to a doctor.
Thank you so very much
Reply: ---------------------
If the loss of sense of smell and taste is an isolated problem, ie not associated with other symptoms such as headache, visual disturbance, sinus congestion, facial numbness, facial pain, etc. then the most likely explanation is that injury to the olfactory nerve has occured from a previous viral infection. If this is indeed the case, a failure to recover the sense of smell after 1 year would suggest a poor prognosis for recovery. Some evidence suggests that 3 months or more of zinc supplementation may be helpful in as many as a third of patients for reasons that are not entirely clear.
I generally recommend a CT scan of the sinus and brain when smell disturbance is prolonged (more than several weeks) unless there is a clear cut explanation such as a nasal obstruction or ongoing sinus disease that has not been treated.
By far and away the most common cause of diminished sense of smell is upper respiratory infection - usually the common cold. Chronic sinus disease is often associated with smell disturbances. Tumors are uncommon causes of smell disturbance.
--
Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
NOTICE: OFCN is not engaged in the rendering of professional medical services. The information contained on this system or any other OFCN system should not supplant individual professional consultation. It is offered exclusively as a community education service. Advice on individual problems must be obtained directly from a professional.
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