Causes of post-nasal drip Sinusitis also commonly causes post-nasal drip and/or a runny nose (or blocked nose), as well as facial pain/pressure, cough and a loss of smell.
The symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis are nasal congestion or blockage, pain or pressure in the face, post-nasal drip (the sensation of mucus draining down the back of the throat), and decreased sense of smell.
True taste loss does not occur, but patients sometimes report the presence of foul tastes/smells. Other important features include difficulty breathing through the nose, post nasal drip, nasal allergies, and a history of sinusitis and/or nasal polyps.
Anosmia may be caused by an infection, such as a cold or flu. It may also be caused by nasal polyps or other blockages. Loss of sense of smell is also a common symptom of COVID-19. In most instances, treating the underlying cause of anosmia can restore your sense of smell.
With most viral infections, smell loss will occur after the other viral symptoms — the nasal congestion and runny nose — have come and gone. With COVID-19, smell loss one of the first signs of infection.
If there's a blockage of this channel, like when you have a stuffy nose due to the flu or a cold, odors can't get to the sensory cells the smells stimulate. This results in you losing a lot of your ability to taste the flavor of food. In this manner, your senses of taste and smell work closely together.
A stuffy nose from a cold is a common cause for a partial, temporary loss of smell. A blockage in the nasal passages caused by a polyp or a nasal fracture also is a common cause. Normal aging can cause a loss of smell too, particularly after age 60.
Unfortunately for some, during the cold, flu or sinus infection, the loss of sense of smell is not due to a physical blockage. It is due to the virus, bacteria or inflammation causing damage to the smell nerves during the infection. If the smell nerves are damaged, the loss of smell is often permanent and irreversible.
Timothy Smith, ear, nose and throat specialist at Oregon Health & Science University. “We found that probably 80% of those patients who have a loss or distortion of their sense of smell will recover that sense about one to three months after the COVID-19 infection has resolved.
Your sense of smell may go back to normal in a few weeks or months. Treating the cause might help. For example, steroid nasal sprays or drops might help if you have sinusitis or nasal polyps. A treatment called "smell training" can also help some people.
Treatment for lost or changed sense of smell
Treating the cause might help. For example, steroid nasal sprays or drops might help if you have sinusitis or nasal polyps. Sometimes changes in sense of smell cannot be treated and may be permanent. A treatment called smell training can help some people.
The best place to start is focusing on reducing the inflammation in your nasal passages. If you can open up your sinuses and facilitate drainage, your smell (and therefore your taste) will return faster. Saline irrigations are helpful to wash out signs of infection and clear inflammation.
Anything that irritates and inflames the inner lining of your nose and makes it feel stuffy, runny, itchy, or drippy can affect your senses of smell and taste. This includes the common cold, sinus infections, allergies, sneezing, congestion, the flu, and COVID-19.
Much of the flavor of food comes from smell, so that when you are unable to smell you have lost much of your ability to experience flavor.
Postnasal drip is the accumulation of mucus in the back of the throat, which can cause a feeling of congestion, a sore throat, or a cough. It is a common symptom of conditions such as the common cold, sinusitis, and allergies.
What are the symptoms of postnasal drip? Postnasal drip can cause an irritated sore throat. Your tonsils and other tissues in your throat may swell up, leading to discomfort. You may feel like there's a lump in the back of your throat.
For all anosmia and dysgeusia cases who received fluticasone nasal spray and triamcinolone medications the recovery of smell senses and the taste was within a week.
Try sharp tasting foods and drinks, such as citrus fruits, juices, sorbet, jelly, lemon mousse, fruit yoghurt, boiled sweets, mints, lemonade, Marmite, Bovril, or aniseed.
These self-confined symptoms are usually limited to the nasal and sinus areas and most times go away in five to seven days.
Infections of the middle ear can partially damage the sense of taste.
Postnasal drip caused by allergies can be managed with OTC antihistamines and decongestants. Note that older antihistamines like Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton can actually thicken mucus; instead, try Claritin, Alavert, Allegra, Zyrtec, Xyzal or Clarinex.