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THE CAUSES OF OLFACTORY AND TASTE DISORDERS
- As many as 260 million people live in the United States, and according to a study, more than 2 million people have this disorder. About 200 thousand people apply to the doctor for this reason every year in the United States. Ear, Nose And Throat Specialist Op. Dr. Ali Değirmenci gave information about the subject.
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- The sense of smell and taste are important sensations that warn us early that we need to be grateful, and the wrong smell and taste warns us about fire, poisonous gases and spoiled food. An olfactory disorder can be caused by a sinus problem, tissue growths in the nose, or in rare cases by brain tumors. For some professional groups, such as cooks, firefighters, it is a professional fact to smell and taste, and the loss of these feelings creates big problems.
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HOW DOES OLFACTION AND TASTE OCCUR?
- The senses of smell and taste belong to our chemical sense system. These mixed processes begin when certain chemicals caused by substances around us stimulate our nose, mouth, and throat. By stimulating the nerve endings, these messages are transmitted to the brain and are distinguished in the brain.
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- Olfactory nerve endings are located in the ceiling of the nose and stimulate the olfactory region directly in the brain in a very thin bone.
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- Food and drinks mix with saliva to stimulate nerve endings that can be found in the mouth, tongue, and throat. They deliver the same shaped stimulus to certain areas of the brain.
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- Olfactory and taste-sensing cells are being studied for their ability to regenerate when they age or suffer damage.
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- A third chemical sense system is also available. This is called the ’general feeling system’. The sensory nerve, which can be found in especially moist areas of the eyes, nose and mouth, detects the ‘leakage of ammonia, the coolness of methol and the temperature of red pepper’.
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- We can generally distinguish four basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty. A condiment is formed by the combination of a certain proportion of these flavors and a general sense system. It is this special seasoning that allows us to get to know them.
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- Many substances are recognized mainly from their smell. If you close your nose while eating chocolate, you may feel that the substance you are eating is sweet or bitter, but you will have a hard time understanding that it is chocolate. This is due to the fact that the familiar taste of chocolate is most often perceived by smell. In the same way, coffee is like that. If you pay attention, people who want to get the exact flavor of the food (such as a cook, a flavor expert) exhale through their noses after each swallow.
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WHAT CAUSES OLFACTORY AND TASTE DISORDERS?
- The predominant problem is the reduced ability to smell naturally after the age of 60. Scientists have found that ability to smell is best between the ages of 30 and 60. This condition begins to decrease after the age of 60, and many people older have noted their ability to smell. But, as a rule, women of any age are more sensitive to smell than men.
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- Some people may be born with olfactory and taste disorders, but in many people this condition occurs after an accident or illness.
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- Inflammation of the upper respiratory tract has often been blamed, but also olfactory disorders can occur with head fractures.
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- Olfactory and taste disorders can be caused by polyps in the nose, hormonal disorders, and dental problems. It can also occur with prolonged exposure to pesticides or some other drugs.
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- Cigarette smoke is the most common and most intense air pollution agent that people face. It causes the sense of smell to be distinguished and the sense of taste to be reduced. Quitting smoking increases the sense of smell, but this phenomenon occurs very slowly.
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- For example, a person who smokes two packs of cigarettes a day should quit smoking by the time they smoke so that they can smell the same way again.
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- Many people who have undergone radiation therapy for cancer of the head and neck area complain of impaired smell and taste.
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- People who have had their windpipe and vocal cords removed complain that their sense of smell and taste are reduced. If tubes are applied to these people to allow them to breathe through their noses, they will start to taste and smell again.
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HOW ARE OLFACTORY AND TASTE DISORDERS DIAGNOSED?
- People are given different intensities of smells and tastes in order to get to know them. The lowest intensity that a person can distinguish is found. In addition, smells and tastes of different intensities are tested, it is investigated whether it can distinguish them or notice them when their intensity is increased.
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CAN SMELL AND TASTE DISORDERS BE TREATED?
- Sometimes a drug used is the only cause of an odor and taste disorder, and the condition improves when the drug is discontinued or replaced.
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- Some medications can lead to olfactory disorders, while allergy medications in particular can improve smell and taste.
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- People with a particularly severe cold, flu, or increased allergy regain their sense of smell and taste only with the improvement of their condition. In many cases, improvement in olfactory taste is observed by cleaning polyps that cause nasal congestion, rarely smell and taste receptors register on their own, as well as they can improve on their own.
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President of Organ Transplant Center at MedicalPark Hospital Antalya
Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
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