Ageusia (Loss of Taste)

What is ageusia?

Ageusia (pronounced “uh-GYOU-zee-uh”) is the complete loss of your sense of taste. This condition makes it impossible to detect tastes like sweet, sour, salty, bitter or umami.

Your sense of taste involves lots of parts, including your taste buds and nerves that carry taste signals to your brain. Anything that damages these parts or interferes with how they work together can potentially lead to ageusia.

How common is ageusia?

True ageusia — a complete loss of taste — is rare. Out of 1,000 people, only one or two will develop the condition. It’s much less common than other related taste disorders like hypogeusia (a decreased sense of taste) or dysgeusia (a distorted, unpleasant perception of taste).

Ageusia can affect anyone, but it’s most common in people over 50. At this point, your total number of taste buds starts to decrease. Still, it’s much more common to lose some sense of taste, not all of it.

What are the symptoms of ageusia?

Having ageusia means you can’t distinguish any taste in foods or drinks. You may have other symptoms, too, depending on what condition causes it. These may include:

• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• Nasal congestion.
• Allergies.
• Oral health problems.

What causes loss of taste?

Causes of ageusia range from health conditions and medications to lifestyle-related things, like smoking cigarettes. Anything that interferes with the breakdown of food into chemical signals that your brain recognizes as specific flavors can impact your sense of taste.

Conditions or injuries

Infections, health conditions (including nutritional deficiencies) and injuries that impact structures in your head and neck involved with taste can all lead to ageusia.

Head and neck infections that can cause ageusia include:

• COVID-19. (Most people who develop ageusia as a coronavirus symptom experience a loss of taste and smell.)
• Sinus infection (sinusitis).
• Common cold.
• Influenza (flu).
• Strep throat.
• Salivary gland infections (sialadenitis).

Conditions affecting your mouth and teeth that can lead to loss of taste include:

• Gum (periodontal) disease.
• Tongue inflammation (glossitis).
• Xerostomia (dry mouth).
• Sjögren’s syndrome.
• Burning mouth syndrome.

Conditions or injuries affecting your nerves that may cause ageusia include:

• Diabetes.
• Bell’s palsy.
• Alzheimer’s disease.
• Multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Stroke.

Nerve injury (including from a procedure or radiation therapy).

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies linked to ageusia include:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Zinc deficiency.

Medications

Hundreds of medications have loss of taste as a potential side effect, including:

• Antibiotics.
• Antivirals.
• Antifungals.
• Antihistamines.
• Antiseizure medicines.
• Tricyclic antidepressants.
• Bronchodilators.
• Chemotherapy drugs.

What are the complications of ageusia?

Ageusia can take the joy out of eating, so you eat less. The condition can also keep you from detecting harmful flavors you should avoid. This can lead to health problems like:

• Unintended weight loss.
• Not getting enough nutrients (malnutrition).
• Consuming spoiled foods or drinks.
• Mood changes and depression.

How is ageusia diagnosed?

Otolaryngologists (ENTs) diagnose taste disorders like ageusia. During your physical exam, they’ll review your medical history to see if any conditions, recent procedures or medications may be triggering your loss of taste. They may also recommend tests, including:

• Taste tests: During this test, a provider applies solutions that contain different dilutions of sweet, sour, salty or bitter flavors to your tongue. They may apply the solution as a drop, spray, tablet, wafer or taste strip.
• Imaging tests: You may need an imaging procedure, like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or a computed tomography (CT) scan, if your provider suspects your loss of taste is related to a structural issue in your head or neck.
• Lab tests: Blood tests can help providers identify conditions causing ageusia, like a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

How is ageusia treated?

In most cases, treating the condition that led to ageusia helps restore your taste.

If a cold or flu causes ageusia, your sense of taste may return after taking antihistamines or decongestants. Healthcare providers treat Infections with antibiotics. Once you’ve recovered from your illness, you’ll be able to taste foods again.

Sometimes, you can reverse a complete loss of taste by changing your daily habits. For example, people who quit smoking can regain their sense of taste in as little as 48 hours. If your ageusia is related to gum disease, ramping up your oral hygiene rituals can help restore your taste function quickly.

Can ageusia be prevented?

Because ageusia often results from a separate condition, it’s not always preventable. But there are things you can do to reduce your risk:

• Keep your mouth moist. Spit is an important part of taste. Help boost saliva production by staying hydrated. Avoid smoking or using tobacco products that lead to dry mouth.
• Reduce your risk of infections. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Make oral hygiene a priority. Brush and floss daily, and visit your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings.
• Get plenty of vitamin B12 and zinc. Good sources of vitamin B12 and zinc include meat, dairy products and fortified cereals.
• Switch medications (if you can). Changing medications isn’t always realistic. But your provider may be able to recommend a different kind if your medicine is interfering with your taste.

What can I expect if I have ageusia?

If you’ve been diagnosed with ageusia, your healthcare provider can help you find ways to manage your symptoms until you regain your sense of taste. Most things that cause it, like an infection, are temporary. For example, people who have ageusia as a symptom of COVID-19 usually recover in one to three weeks.

You should be able to enjoy flavors again when a healthcare provider treats the condition that caused it. Ageusia is rarely permanent.

In the meantime, be sure to eat healthy, well-balanced meals. You may find it difficult to eat, but eating nutritious foods regularly is important to your health.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

Sometimes, it’s obvious that another health condition or medication is causing ageusia. But if you suddenly find you can’t taste anything and aren’t sure why, call a healthcare provider immediately. They’ll run tests to determine the cause and design a treatment plan to help.

What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?

Understanding your diagnosis can help you make informed decisions about your health. Some questions you may want to ask your provider include:

• Is my loss of taste due to a cold, flu or other infection?
• Could my medications be causing my loss of taste?
• Do I have an underlying condition that needs treatment?
• Will taking supplements help?
• Is there anything else I can do to improve my sense of taste?