South Indy News

• Sinus infections can lead to a loss of taste and smell.

• Losing the ability to taste and smell can cause a decreased quality of life for the patient.

• Treating the sinus infection can restore the patient's sense of taste and smell.

According to Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center, chronic sinus problems can have negative effects on a patient's overall quality of life.

"I think because it's such a chronic condition in most people and it also impacts their quality of life in a great way,” Sanders told South Indy News. “I find it very gratifying to be able to help people out of what's otherwise just a really chronic nagging nuisance problem.”

According to the Taste of Home website, the holidays are a time of celebration with traditional foods, and a YouGov survey found the most popular cuisine includes mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, turkey, bread rolls and stuffing. However, the Houston Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy website noted that sinus infections could be behind a person's loss of taste and smell. Congestion is a common symptom of a sinus infection, and a stuffy nose impedes the ability to taste by blocking access to the key part of the brain used for that sense.

Mayo Clinic reports that people who do lose their ability of taste and smell often lose their appetite and suffer from poor nutrition, which could then result in depression.

People suffering from the loss of taste may use extra salt or sugar to improve the taste of their food, which could exacerbate issues with diabetes or high blood sugar, according to Mayo Clinic. The successful treatment of a sinus infection, however, can restore the patient's senses of taste and smell.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinus infections, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.