Taste - impaired

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Taste impairment means there is a problem with your sense of taste. Problems range from distorted taste to a complete loss of the sense of taste. However, a complete inability to taste is rare.

Loss of taste; Metallic taste; Dysgeusia

The tongue can detect only sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Much of what is perceived as "taste" is actually smell. People who have taste problems often have a smell disorder that can make it hard to identify a food's flavor. (Flavor is a combination of taste and smell.)

Taste problems can be caused by anything that interrupts the transfer of taste sensations to the brain, or by conditions that affect the way the brain interprets these sensations.

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Taste sensation often decreases after age 60. Most often, salty and sweet tastes are lost first. Bitter and sour tastes last slightly longer. See: Aging changes in the senses

Causes of impaired taste include:

• Bell's palsy
• Common cold
• Flu
• Nasal infection, nasal polyps, sinusitis
• Pharyngitis andstrep throat
• Salivary gland infections

Other causes are:

• Ear surgery
• Heavy smoking (especially pipe smoking)
• Injury to the mouth, nose, or head
• Mouth dryness
• Medicines, such as antithyroid drugs, captopril, griseofulvin, lithium, penicillamine, procarbazine, rifampin, and some drugs used to treat cancer
• Swollen or inflamed gums (gingivitis)
• Vitamin B12 or zinc deficiency

Review Date: 03/05/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).