

If your nose is stuffed or blocked by a cold or the flu, the odors can’t reach the sensory cells in your nose, and you lose much of the enjoyment of flavor. When you chew food, the released aromas reach your nose and activate your sense of smell. Hur, an assistant professor of clinical otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Viruses can damage the cells that detect odors and cause swelling in your nose, which limits airflow to smell receptors,” says Dr.


Scientists have also identified a loss of taste and smell among the symptoms associated with COVID-19. In fact, both the common cold and influenza can cause temporary anosmia, or a complete inability to detect odors. If you’ve had a cold, you may be all too familiar with a stuffy nose that makes it hard to smell. Viral infections, like the flu, colds and COVID-19 Here Kevin Hur, MD, a rhinology specialist at Keck Medicine of USC, outlines 4 common reasons that may cause you to lose your sense of taste or smell. And, interestingly, what we perceive as a disruption in our ability to taste may often be rooted in issues related to our sense of smell. Both can also serve to tell us when something’s not safe to eat. Our senses of taste and smell help us to detect and catalog a wide spectrum of flavors and scents. Several viruses and health conditions, including COVID-19, could be the reason for your loss of taste and smell.Ī bouquet of flowers.
