Taste buds provide a basic sense of taste, which can be surprising. By smelling, we greatly expand our sense of taste. The two are intimately intertwined. Unfortunately, many people report loss of smell or taste after a head injury. And since the ability to taste has a lot to do with the olfactory and oral senses, there could be a combination of things that happen when one can’t taste after an accident.
Falls and other accidents that lead to head injuries are painful and scary enough. Add in a loss of the primary senses, which we have likely depended on since birth, and it can be quite unsettling. That’s why it can be scary to realize that you can’t smell or taste after being in an accident that involved head trauma.
How traumatic brain injury leads to loss of smell or taste
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases sometimes involve damage to the nasal passages. Traumatic brain injury can also affect the nerves in the nose or mouth. Sometimes the brain itself is damaged during an accident in the areas responsible for our senses, which are located at the top of the bone inside the skull and are easily susceptible to trauma.
There are no known effective treatments for loss of smell and taste. Sometimes the senses will return on their own. Many times, an accident victim who has lost his sense of smell or taste, or both, may have to learn to live with the illness.
Studies confirm olfactory loss after brain injury
Scientists from the University of Montréal and the Lucie Bruneau Rehabilitation Centre, working in collaboration with the Greater Montreal Interdisciplinary Research Center in Rehabilitation, recently published a study in The Brain Injury Journal . The study reflects their research into mild and severe traumatic brain injury, and also examines whether the conditions could cause olfactory loss.
Their evidence clearly showed that olfactory loss can occur in both mild and severe TBI. Study co-author and neuropsychologist Maurice Ptito, interim professor at the University of Montreal School of Optometry, says patients who experienced frontal lesions were more likely to suffer from olfactory loss and dysfunction.
The study in question evaluated 49 people with traumatic brain injury, 73% of whom were men and had an average age of 43 years. Participants underwent 2 small tests and completed a questionnaire to determine the level of olfactory loss. The results of the study show that 55% of the test subjects did, in fact, have an impaired sense of smell, and 41% were actually unaware of the reduction in olfactory function.
Smell plays a critical role in our lives
Whether you live in Texas or anywhere else in the world, your sense of smell and taste greatly impacts your life. In addition to the pleasure of eating, taste and smell give us the ability to detect toxins that could endanger our health. Smell and taste significantly affect our personal relationships and overall mental health, with the oral and olfactory senses playing a role in depression or joy, true discernment of personal hygiene, and other factors.
Ways to compensate for loss of flavor
If you have experienced a loss of flavor, you may need to learn to compensate by:
- Be imaginative with textures and colors when cooking.
- Low cooking products to preserve the nutrients that are lost with excessive cooking.
- Experiment with new foods to keep you interested in meals
- Investigate foods with extremely strong flavors that you can taste
If you have been in an accident in Texas and experienced a loss of smell or taste afterward, you may have suffered a serious brain or brain injury. First, talk to a doctor. Then contact the law firm Patterson Law Group. Our team of expert personal injury lawyers
