People with a severe runny nose and nasal congestion can often become insensitive to smells and tastes. There are many reasons for these symptoms, ranging from a common viral infection to cancer in the nasal cavity. At the same time, doctors distinguish between complete (anosmia) and partial (hyposmia) loss of the ability to smell and taste. What should be done if the sense of smell disappeared with a runny nose? First of all, you need to contact a specialist who will help determine the cause of the symptom and prescribe an effective treatment.
Causes
Most often, loss of taste and smell occurs with a cold. In this case, the inability to distinguish between odors should not cause strong concern, since after the disappearance of the symptoms of the disease, the ability to sense taste and smell usually returns. However, if after a runny nose the sense of smell has disappeared and is not restored, and the patient does not at all distinguish the taste characteristics of food, you should seek help from a doctor to find out the reasons for what happened.
Rhinitis
Anyone who has ever encountered a loss of smell with colds wondered why, with a severe cold, the taste of food is almost not felt. The thing is that in the nasal cavity there is an olfactory zone, consisting of special olfactory cells that are able to perceive smells and aromas. After admission, the information received is transmitted to the brain at a special olfactory center for analysis. In a similar way, information about tastes enters the brain, allowing you to feel the differences between the food you eat. During a runny nose, swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa occurs, food becomes tasteless, a person does not distinguish between odors.
In this case, rhinitis can be caused by viral and bacterial infections, allergic reactions, inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx. Most often, the sense of smell and taste with a cold return completely after the elimination of excess mucous secretions, which completely or partially blocked the path of smells penetrating to the nerve endings.
Colds and allergic reactions are often accompanied by a runny nose, in which complete or partial nasal congestion can be observed, blocking the olfactory centers located in the brain.
Ozena
If the patient's sense of smell has suddenly disappeared, one can often hear complaints from him: “I don’t smell” or “Doctor, I don’t taste.” All this may indicate the presence of ozena (atrophic rhinitis). However, the loss of the ability to smell is usually accompanied by a fetid odor from the nose. The pathological process develops on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and is accompanied by severe inflammation, the appearance of a viscous thick secretion and a fetid odor. An unpleasant smell from the nose results from the drying up of mucus and the formation of crusts, which become the reason why the sense of smell disappears.
If timely treatment has not been started, then the development of ozena is dangerous due to atrophy of the epithelium and, as a result, complete loss of the main functions of the nasal mucosa.
Other reasons
- A foreign object in the form of a bead, small object, bone or pea can get into the nasal passage, get stuck there and provoke the development of inflammation and a runny nose.
- Often, the ability to perceive tastes and smells disappears in the postoperative period, when pieces of cotton swabs or gauze remain in the nasal passages by mistake.
Loss of smell with a runny nose caused by a foreign object stuck in the nose usually goes away on its own immediately after the removal of the foreign body.
- Long-term use (more than ten days) of vasoconstrictor drugs can cause temporary loss of smell and taste with a cold.
- Thermal burns of the nasopharynx (hot steam, food or drinks) often cause loss of olfactory ability. The restoration of the missing abilities usually lasts long enough, and occurs only after complete healing of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.
- With oncological diseases localized in the organs of the nasopharynx, the patient often does not smell. Olfactory abilities are restored only after the cause of the unpleasant symptom is eliminated.
- Also, the loss of olfactory abilities may be directly unrelated to the condition of the nasal cavity. Among the most common diseases with similar symptoms are diabetes mellitus, a tumor in the temporal lobe of the brain, high blood pressure, and neurological disorders.
Feeling problems with the perception of smells and tastes, it should be remembered that these pathologies can occur during pregnancy, menopause, puberty. In such situations, it is not necessary to treat the symptom with either medication or surgical methods.
Treatment
Any treatment should primarily be based on eliminating the cause that caused the pathology. In the treatment of hyposmia, the ultimate goal should be the complete restoration of olfactory capacity.
Often, with congenital pathologies and anomalies of the nasal cavity, accompanied by damage to the nerve pathways responsible for transmitting signals to the olfactory center of the brain, it is not possible to fully restore the ability to smell and taste.
Conservative treatments
- With the development of rhinitis of bacterial or viral origin, treatment should be aimed at eliminating the infection. So, for viral infections, treatment is carried out using antiviral drugs (Amizon, Rimantadin, Groprinosin), for bacterial infections - using systemic (Sumamed, Azithromycin, Augmentin) and local (Fusafungin, Polydex with phenyloephrine) antibacterial drugs.
Nasal drops of plant origin (Pinosol), as well as saline solutions (Aquamaris, Nosol) are indicated in the treatment of rhinitis to moisturize the nasal mucosa, dilute viscous secretions, soften crusts, and reduce the severity of the inflammatory process.- For allergic rhinitis, antihistamines in the form of tablets (Suprastin, Zodak, Loratadin), nasal drops (Nasobek, Ifiral) are used to restore the patency of the nasal passages and restore the olfactory ability. Also in this case, it is important to establish and eliminate the cause of the allergic reaction.
Nasal drops of plant origin (Pinosol), as well as saline solutions (Aquamaris, Nosol) are indicated in the treatment of rhinitis to moisturize the nasal mucosa, dilute viscous secretions, soften crusts, and reduce the severity of the inflammatory process.Important! Sensitization of the body is an effective treatment for allergies. In this case, a gradual (over several months) habituation of the immune system to the allergen is carried out.
Surgical treatments
With a loss of olfactory ability, they are most often limited to conservative treatment, but there are situations when surgical intervention is recommended.
- Laser therapy is the most popular surgical method today. To safely and quickly eliminate neoplasms in the nasal cavity (polyps), nasal polypotomy is performed.
- Also, an effective treatment for minor hypertrophy of the nasal mucosa is cauterization with a laser, special chemicals (trichloroacetic acid, lapis) and electric current.
- If with the help of the above methods it was not possible to restore the olfactory ability, then in such situations, an operation is used under local anesthesia by the vasectomy method.
General recommendations
In the process of restoring the olfactory ability, it is important to normalize the state of the mucous membrane and tissues of the nasal cavity. To do this, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
Avoid drying out the nasal mucosa. To do this, use saline solutions (purchased at a pharmacy or prepared at home: a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water), as well as vegetable oils (almond, peach).- Ventilate the room regularly, carry out wet cleaning, maintaining optimal climatic conditions in the room (temperature no more than 20 degrees, humidity not less than 50%).
- Adequate fluid intake (at least two liters per day) prevents dryness in the nose and allows you to replenish the moisture supply in the body with a cold.
Avoid drying out the nasal mucosa. To do this, use saline solutions (purchased at a pharmacy or prepared at home: a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water), as well as vegetable oils (almond, peach).Prophylaxis
It is known that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. There are a number of simple rules and recommendations, the observance of which will avoid the loss of the ability to sense tastes and aromas.
- First of all, it is important to minimize the likelihood of developing colds and allergic diseases as much as possible. For this, it is recommended to carry out activities aimed at strengthening the immune system (temper, adhere to proper nutrition, play sports).
- It is also necessary to minimize the stress on the nervous system: avoid stressful situations, overstrain, observe a sleep and wakefulness regimen.
- Do not forget about the importance of hygienic procedures for the nasal cavity, observe the optimal level of humidity in the premises.
Important! Being in crowded places (public transport, meetings), it makes sense to apply oxolinic ointment, which protects the body from infection and its transmission by airborne droplets.
With the loss of the ability to sense tastes and smells, a person experiences discomfort, he can no longer fully feel the aromas and distinguish the taste of food. That is why it is so important to take care of your body, preventing a strong decrease in immunity and the development of chronic inflammatory reactions.
