Loss of Smell After Crash? | Indiana Lawyer Shares Insight
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I'm Indiana personal injury attorney David Holub.
Every now and then, we find that one of our clients has lost the ability to smell after a severe auto crash or other head blow incident. The loss of the sense of smell is not an injury you often hear or read about.
Medical experts can glean from medical records and a patient's physical exam whether the loss of the ability to smell is due to a crash or other head injury incident. The type of medical expert who can help answer what caused a loss of the sense of smell is an otolaryngologist. This medical sub-specialty deals with diagnosing and treating diseases of the ear, nose, and throat.
These physicians, experts in the sense of smell, review medical records and perform a physical examination of the patient, and may also require CT scans of the brain and face. These experts will want to know if there is bruising to the face and nose. Is there lingering nose soreness following the injury incident? Does the patient suffer from headaches and light sensitivity? These are symptoms typical of a concussion. The loss of the sense of smell often coincides with a concussion or a more severe brain injury. The otolaryngologist may also ask the patient to complete an UPSIT assessment test. The UPSIT assessment is a scratch-and-sniff test where the patient is asked to note what, if anything, they smell in response to being exposed to 40 different odors. The absence of the ability to smell is called anosmia.
The expert looks at the circumstances of the crash to see if the forces at work are consistent with the type of head trauma necessary to cause a loss of the sense of smell. Patients who suffer from anosmia do not often experience any improvement in their sense of smell if there is no recovery in the first year following the trauma.
A permanent loss of smell is often connected to the loss of being able to taste the flavor of food. Where the sense of smell loss is permanent, it is most likely due to shearing off sensory nerve fibers feeding from the brain into the nasal cavity.
This happens due to the jostling of the brain within the skull during a crash.
Swelling of the nose and other trauma can negatively impact the ability to smell odors. Still, such conditions usually resolve within a few months.
When the swelling dissipates and a year or more passes without the patient's sense of smell improving, a permanent brain injury (destruction of the smell-sensing nerves of the brain) is likely. In reality, the complete loss of the sense of smell is the consequence of a traumatic brain injury. Suffering from a complete loss of smell puts a person at increased risk of ingesting spoiled food and not noticing dangers, such as being unable to smell smoke, natural gas, etc.
To learn more about the Law Offices Of David W Holub visit https://davidholublaw.com today.
To read David Holub's book "Fighting For Truth: A Trial Lawyer's Insight Into Wh
I'm Indiana personal injury attorney David Holub.
Every now and then, we find that one of our clients has lost the ability to smell after a severe auto crash or other head blow incident. The loss of the sense of smell is not an injury you often hear or read about.
Medical experts can glean from medical records and a patient's physical exam whether the loss of the ability to smell is due to a crash or other head injury incident. The type of medical expert who can help answer what caused a loss of the sense of smell is an otolaryngologist. This medical sub-specialty deals with diagnosing and treating diseases of the ear, nose, and throat.
These physicians, experts in the sense of smell, review medical records and perform a physical examination of the patient, and may also require CT scans of the brain and face. These experts will want to know if there is bruising to the face and nose. Is there lingering nose soreness following the injury incident? Does the patient suffer from headaches and light sensitivity? These are symptoms typical of a concussion. The loss of the sense of smell often coincides with a concussion or a more severe brain injury. The otolaryngologist may also ask the patient to complete an UPSIT assessment test. The UPSIT assessment is a scratch-and-sniff test where the patient is asked to note what, if anything, they smell in response to being exposed to 40 different odors. The absence of the ability to smell is called anosmia.
The expert looks at the circumstances of the crash to see if the forces at work are consistent with the type of head trauma necessary to cause a loss of the sense of smell. Patients who suffer from anosmia do not often experience any improvement in their sense of smell if there is no recovery in the first year following the trauma.
A permanent loss of smell is often connected to the loss of being able to taste the flavor of food. Where the sense of smell loss is permanent, it is most likely due to shearing off sensory nerve fibers feeding from the brain into the nasal cavity.
This happens due to the jostling of the brain within the skull during a crash.
Swelling of the nose and other trauma can negatively impact the ability to smell odors. Still, such conditions usually resolve within a few months.
When the swelling dissipates and a year or more passes without the patient's sense of smell improving, a permanent brain injury (destruction of the smell-sensing nerves of the brain) is likely. In reality, the complete loss of the sense of smell is the consequence of a traumatic brain injury. Suffering from a complete loss of smell puts a person at increased risk of ingesting spoiled food and not noticing dangers, such as being unable to smell smoke, natural gas, etc.
To learn more about the Law Offices Of David W Holub visit https://davidholublaw.com today.
To read David Holub's book "Fighting For Truth: A Trial Lawyer's Insight Into Wh