[wackemac]

How many of you have lost your sense of smell and or taste? How far along were you in PD before it happened, and did it happen all at once or gradually? I have great fear of this pannening to me. Thanks.

[reverett123]

Taste seems OK but smell went 20 to 30 years ago gradually. Odd though, I can still smell certain things and they seem to be all "odd" and pleasant. Leaf mould on the forest floor, for example. Wood smoke is another.

Originally Posted by wackemac

How many of you have lost your sense of smell and or taste? How far along were you in PD before it happened, and did it happen all at once or gradually? I have great fear of this pannening to me. Thanks.

[GregD]

I have had PD for 10 years now. My sense of smell was one of the first things to go. Recently, I have noticed that my taste is gone. Like reverett123 says, some things i can smell but they have to be really strong aromas.

GregD

[Ronhutton]

I read recently that generally, loss of sense of smell generally precedes PD by up to 4 years. That is about what happened to me, and I have now had PD nearly 18 years. My taste is still there, but whether diminished or not I couldn't say.
Ron

[girija]

Originally Posted by Ronhutton

I read recently that generally, loss of sense of smell generally precedes PD by up to 4 years. That is about what happened to me, and I have now had PD nearly 18 years. My taste is still there, but whether diminished or not I couldn't say.
Ron

hi Ron How are you?

yes, loss or diminished sense of smell was one of the first symptoms I had atleast 2 years prior to PD diagnosis. I was diagnosed in 2003 and over the last 5 yrs sense of smell is completely gone/ Now I cannot even smell our kitty's litterbox.....
Taste is still oK

Girija

[RLSmi]

Welcome back Giri!
Just shy of 8 yrs Dx. Sense of smell under attack beginning 4-5yrs earlier. Still not entirely gone. Like Rick selective; smoke, fresh ground coffee, some strongly fragrant flowers, pine trees. Taste still fairly intact.

Robert

[reverett123]

Does anyone lose the pleasant odors while retaining the offensive, whaever the two might be to you? I would assume a dopamine release with the former, right?

Originally Posted by RLSmi

Welcome back Giri!
Just shy of 8 yrs Dx. Sense of smell under attack beginning 4-5yrs earlier. Still not entirely gone. Like Rick selective; smoke, fresh ground coffee, some strongly fragrant flowers, pine trees. Taste still fairly intact.

Robert

[lindylanka]

Diminished sense of smell, slightly improved when on, but very much as Rick describes, with the odours that get through being more on the unpleasant side. I can stand over a cooking pan and not smell anything at all, and though I can taste food have noticed a considerable lack of interest in eating over the last few years. Have had to watch out for wanting more salt on food, perhaps this is a compensation for losing sense of smell?

Lindy

[Ronhutton]

Publihed recently
Ron

(PS Hi Girija, nice to be in contact again.)

http://www.emaxhealth.com/2/39/27223...s-disease.html
Many individuals with Parkinson's disease are able to recall losing their sense of smell well before the onset of more commonly recognized symptoms such as tremors, impaired dexterity, speech problems, memory loss and decreased cognitive ability.

To determine if a fading sense of smell may signal Parkinson's, researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine are participating in a national study to examine the correlation and ascertain whether smell loss presents a tool for early detection of the disease and an opportunity to delay or ultimately prevent more troublesome symptoms.

Nearly one million people in the United States are affected by Parkinson's disease, which stems from premature aging of dopamine-producing cells in the brain, and the number is likely to grow as the population ages. By the time Parkinson's disease is detected, most individuals have already experienced a 60 to 70 percent loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain.

"Very little is known about the early stages of this disease," says Tanya Simuni, MD, director of Northwestern's Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center and Associate Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "By utilizing smell testing in conjunction with other tests, we hope to develop a system that identifies the presence of Parkinson's before it develops into problematic symptoms."

Northwestern is one of 15 sites nationwide and the only center in Illinois to participate in the Parkinson's Associated Risk Study (PARS), the largest long-term study in the United States of relatives of individuals with Parkinson's disease. Evaluating 7,500 relatives for three to five years, the study draws from research demonstrating that first-degree family members such as mothers, fathers, siblings or children have a slight increase in their risk to develop the disease. As age has been recognized as the single proven risk factor for the onset of Parkinson's symptoms, the study will monitor relatives 50 years or older.

PARS study participants will be sent a scratch-and-sniff test accompanied by a brief questionnaire to be completed at home, with possible follow-up through continued questionnaires or evaluation by a local neurologist. Participants may also be contacted for more extensive testing.

"This study presents an enormous opportunity to not only better understand the initial stages of Parkinson's, but also help future generations," says Dr. Simuni. "In the future, early detection combined with neuroprotective therapy may pave the way for interventions that slow the progression or even prevent the onset of Parkinson's disease."


By: Northwestern Memorial Hospital - Fri, 12/05/2008 - 07:43

[jcitron]

I've noticed a change in my senses as well. My sense of smell isn't as strong as it used to be, but it's still there The more offensive odors come through like dog poop and the cat box, and very strong food odors like frying onions and bacon. I can still pick-up coffee though, which is a good thing.

My sense of taste is quite diminished so that things such as chicken soup taste like dishwater. I never say anything because I don't want to offend the cook, but it's plain flat. As good as a piece of roat beef looks, there's barely any flavor to it. I find myself reaching for the salt shaker more, and eating more spicy food than I did before with black pepper being my best friend for soups, meat and mashed potatos.

I've also noticed that without the other real flavors in food, that the base tastes are still there, but almost exagerated. Salty potato chips are really salty, and sweet foods such as a candy bar or ginger ale are extra sweet. At first I figured that it was the food processors putting extra ingredients to help sell more stuff, but that's not the case. It appears that I'm the only one that tastes the extra sweetness in the ginger ale with only a bare hint of the real flavor.

As a result of this, I find I have little enthusiasm to eat. I eat because I have to, not because I want to and I used to love to eat prior to this.

John