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[Concomitant anosmia and ageusia: a case report]
Revue Medicale Suisse
|December 2, 2015
Summary
Head trauma can cause olfactory loss (smell loss). This case study suggests that taste loss (ageusia) may also occur frequently after head injury due to central brain damage, contrary to previous beliefs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Trauma Surgery
Background:
- Olfactory loss is common after head trauma, typically due to damage to olfactory fibers at the cribriform plate.
- Posttraumatic gustatory (taste) loss is reported infrequently, with poorly understood mechanisms.
Observation:
- This report details a case of simultaneous posttraumatic anosmia (smell loss) and ageusia (taste loss).
- Brain imaging revealed significant frontobasal brain injury in the patient.
Findings:
- The gustatory impairment is hypothesized to stem from central injury to the secondary taste cortex.
- This suggests that concomitant smell and taste dysfunction after head trauma may be more prevalent than currently recognized.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider assessing both smell and taste function in patients with head trauma.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the central mechanisms of posttraumatic taste loss and its frequency.
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