Diagnostic Podcast: Loss of smell and bruises – the puzzling cases of the new season

Listen to the podcast here or directly from , , and other podcast providers.

Now another season starts star-Podcasts “The Diagnosis” with new puzzling cases of illness. Which puzzle is the most exciting this season?

The very first episode is about a young woman who hasn’t been able to smell anything for a long time. At first it was blamed on her pregnancy. The nasal mucous membranes can swell up, so that expectant mothers often smell worse. But after the birth of the child, the patient’s condition did not change. There were even new complaints: first a headache and a little later a symptom that set the alarm bells ringing for the doctors.

Loss of smell – even the medical layman now associates this with Corona.

Yes, but for once the virus had nothing to do with this particular case. Nevertheless, in the first episode we also learn something about the connection between a corona infection and the loss of the sense of smell. The olfactory expert at the University Hospital in Vienna, with whom I spoke about the case, explains exactly what happens in the nose when there is a corona infection.

What can be learned from this case?

We also talk about what people who have lost their sense of smell can do. For example, there are certain training methods with scented oils that people can use independently at home. That can certainly aid in recovery. And it’s about how long it can take for the sense of smell to come back. This can take weeks or months – those affected should be patient and not give up hope, advises the specialist.

I also find it interesting: What we like to smell and what not is also culturally determined or learned. For example, not everyone finds the scent of roses pleasant – there are also people who don’t like it at all. And when it comes to fish, they say: Hm, delicious.

What other puzzling cases are there to hear about?

One is about a middle-aged man who came to the clinic on foot and relatively healthy for a planned operation and within a few days developed into a seriously ill patient. He has to go to the intensive care unit and his life is in danger. The heart specialists have a certain suspicion as to what could be the cause, the kidney experts have a different suspicion. Depending on which diagnosis is correct and which medication the doctors choose, the patient could be saved or, in the worst case, die.

Another case is about a baby with lots of bruises on his body. The doctors have to clarify: Is it a case of child abuse? Or is there a malignant disease behind it?

And we shed light on the case of a young climber whose finger is strangely sticking out – the culprit is ultimately a disease that mostly affects older people.

Or the case of a man with a mysterious toothache. He is said to have had his teeth pulled and inlays. When the cause of the pain is finally clear, the story takes a very different ending.

“The Diagnosis” – the episodes of the last season to listen to

The podcast “Die Diagnose” with Anika Geisler appears every two weeks – on the platform of RTL Radio Deutschland, and on and . In the seventh season exciting cases of illness were solved: