Lost Scents and Tastes: A Silent Warning from the Brain and Body
"I can't taste food."
This is not merely an issue of the palate.
Loss of smell can be the earliest signal of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
Smell and taste are essential survival senses that go beyond the joy of life to detecting dangers like gas leaks or spoiled food.
Most patients complaining of taste disorders actually have problems with their sense of smell.
Causes vary widely, from common issues like post-cold sequelae or rhinitis to medication side effects, nutritional deficiencies, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Therefore, accurate differentiation of the cause is the key to treatment.
