Loss of taste
Loss of taste: Introduction
Changes in taste sensations can result from various medical conditions.
One reasonably common cause is acid reflux where stomach acid is
regurgitated into the mouth giving a bad taste that can be
described as an acid taste or metallic taste; refer to the symptoms of
refux or heartburn.
Another possibility is an infectious oral virus that may damage
the tongue's sensory cells and result in changes to taste.
Other mouth or tongue disorders, including mouth ulcers, are a possibility.
Taste changes can also accompany other general types of illness,
such as a fever, and these other symptoms need to be investigated
for their cause.
Various other causes of taste changes are possible;
always seek prompt professional medical diagnosis for these symptoms.
» Review Causes of Loss of taste:
full list
Causes of Loss of taste:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Loss of taste.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 30
causes of Loss of taste
» Review Causes of Loss of taste:
full list
Loss of taste: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Loss of taste, as listed in our database.
Visit the Symptom Checker,
to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Symptom Checker
Symptom Checker
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Symptom Checker combinations related to Loss of taste
Loss of taste Treatments
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Loss of taste: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Loss of taste:
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of related medical symptoms such as:
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Loss of taste
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Loss of taste:
Diagnostic Guides for Loss of taste
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Loss of taste
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Loss of taste.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Loss of taste
Medical Books Excerpts
- Sore Throat
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Loss of taste: Medical Mistakes
Loss of taste: Undiagnosed Conditions
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Hospitals & Clinics: Loss of taste
Research extensive quality ratings and patient safety measures
for hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in health specialties related to Loss of taste:
Research Hospital & Clinic Quality Ratings » »
Loss of taste: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
- Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists:
- Digestive Health Specialists (Gastroenterology):
- more specialists...»
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Misdiagnosis and Loss of taste
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed.
The best known, irritable bowel syndrome, is...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance.
The digestive system contains a variety of "good"...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria,
but can also kill the "good" bacteria in the gut.
This leads to " digestive...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning).
In fact,...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
(it can, of course, also fail to be diagnosed with fatal effect).
One of the most common...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Loss of taste
Loss of taste: Related Rare Diseases
Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Diagnostic tests for Loss of taste:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Loss of taste. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Inspection of the mouth, teeth, ears, nose and throat for signs of glossitis, gingivitis, stomatitis, dental caries, rhinitis and hay fever
- Nervous system examination including cranial nerve examination. If abnormalities are found must consider Bell's palsy, temporomandibular joint syndrome, petrositis and brain stem lesions
- Central nervous system examination, including cranial nerves looking for signs of 7th nerve palsy which may be due to brain stem stroke, brain stem tumor or multiple sclerosis
- Look for signs of Bell's palsy (7th nerve palsy of unknown cause) - e.g. unable to wrinkle forehead or close eye forcefully on affected side, unable to whistle or blow out cheeks.
- If 7th nerve palsy, examine for a blister-like rash on the pharynx or external ear canal that would suggest herpes zoster (shingles)infection of the nerve
- Palpate parotid gland for enlargement
- more tests...»
See full list of 14
diagnostic tests for Loss of taste
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Loss of taste.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had a loss of taste? - to determine if acute or chronic.
- Is the loss of taste total or partial ? - e.g. general loss of taste is the inability to detect the qualities of sweet, salt, bitter or sour; partial loss of taste is the ability to detect some, but not all tastes.
- What is the age of the person with the loss of taste? - It is normal to get a gradual reduction in the sense of smell and taste with aging.
- History of head trauma? - may suggest fracture of petrous temporal bone causing a facial nerve palsy.
- Dental health? - when last saw a dentist?, dental care routine? Known dental caries? - may suggest gingivitis, periodontitis, Vincent's infection, dental abscess.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Loss of taste (19
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Loss of taste) may include:
- Loss of smell? - People who have a loss of smell usually complain of a loss of sense of taste even though their taste thresholds may be within normal limits. This is because flavour appreciation depends on detecting the smell of substances in food and beverages as well as the sense of taste. Disturbances in the sense of taste are far less frequent than disturbances of the sense of smell. See also loss_of_smell.
- Dry mouth? - causes of dry mouth may cause loss of sense of taste due to interference with access of the taste to the taste buds. Causes of dry mouth include Sjogren's syndrome and heavy metal intoxication.
- Facial paralysis (facial asymmetry, droopy mouth, inability to close eyelids tightly, loss ) associated with absence of taste on the front two thirds of the tongue? - can help determine the location of the seventh nerve palsy.
- Does the facial paralysis spare the forehead muscles? - e.g. if still able to furrow the brow and wrinkle the forehead, the cause of the facial paralysis is most likely due to a brain stroke or brain tumor.
- Paralysis or weakness of one side of the body? - If paralysis or weakness was of sudden onset consider stroke, extradural or subdural hematoma (blood clot). If weakness of body is on the opposite side to the facial paralysis consider brain stem thrombosis (clot) or hemorrhage (bleed). If the weakness of one side of the body is gradual in onset consider a brain tumor, brain abscess or brain degenerative disease.
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Loss of taste (19
listings)
Home Diagnostic Testing and Loss of taste
Home medical tests possibly related to Loss of taste:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- Digestive-Related Home Testing:
- more tests...»
Stories from Users for Loss of taste
Real-life user stories relating to Loss of taste:
Symptom specific forums:
The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards
relate to Loss of taste or relevant symptoms:
Videos for Loss of taste
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See full list of 4 related videos
Patient Surveys for Loss of taste
Organs affected by Loss of taste:
The list of organs typically affected by Loss of taste may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Loss of taste
The list below shows some of the causes of Loss of taste mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 30
causes of Loss of taste
How Common are these Causes of Loss of taste?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Loss of taste.
Of the 30
causes of Loss of taste that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 0
causes are "very common" diseases
- 2
causes are "common" diseases
- 0
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 0
causes are "rare" diseases
- 3
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 28
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 30
causes of Loss of taste
Conditions listing symptoms: Loss of taste:
The following list of conditions
have 'Loss of taste' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
B
Bell's Palsy
... impairment of tasteH
Herpes zoster oticus
... tongue taste lossS
Sjogren's Syndrome
... tasting difficultyT
Tongue Conditions
... Loss of tasteTonsil cancer
... Loss of tasteTonsil disorders
... Loss of tasteW
Wallenberg's Syndrome
... loss of taste
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Causes of Loss of taste Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Loss of taste based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Loss of taste?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Loss of taste, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
Classifications of Loss of taste:
Medical Conditions associated with Loss of taste:
Taste symptoms (74 causes), Sensations (5876 causes), Nerve symptoms (6219 causes), Mouth symptoms (2889 causes), Pain (5609 causes), Throat symptoms (2341 causes), Common symptoms (7717 causes), Head symptoms (6066 causes), Face symptoms (4405 causes)
Symptoms related to Loss of taste:
Loss of smell (29 causes), Taste symptoms (74 causes), Tongue symptoms (351 causes), Mouth symptoms (2889 causes), Bad tastes (59 causes), Foul tastes (57 causes), Bitter tastes (57 causes), Tongue infection, Glossitis (3 causes), Oral candidiasis (2 causes), Excessive smoking, Poor oral hygiene, Tooth infection, Dental cavities, Ear nerve injury, Ear infections, Ear surgery
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
News Archives for Loss of taste
Medical news articles related to Loss of taste include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Loss of taste
Medical research papers related to Loss of taste include:
Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com
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