Clinical and biological features associated with taste loss in internal medicine patients. A cross-sectional study of 100 cases.
Which are the main features associated with taste loss in patients exposed to a wide range of drugs and diseases? In 100 consecutive patients admitted to a ward of internal medicine, we assessed taste complaints, performance status, alcohol and tobacco consumptions, diseases, drugs and laboratory data, measuring the electrical taste threshold as primary outcome. After adjusting for age, taste thresholds were not associated with sex, body mass index, tobacco, thrush, drugs, aliageusia and phantogeusia. Features associated with threshold increase included alcohol intake>or=10 gd-1, impaired performance status, complaint of taste loss, atrophic glossitis, cerebral disease, and an erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume. A multivariate analysis identified age, alcohol intake, complaint of loss or altered taste, mean corpuscular volume, and performance status as independent factors associated with taste loss. Inpatients may be screened for taste loss by a few features, to identify those for whom a nutritional intervention should be focused.
Kettaneh
Adrien
A
Department of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Saint Antoine, 75012 Paris, France. adrien.kettaneh@sat.ap-hop-paris.fr
Pariès
Jacques
J
Stirnemann
Jérôme
J
Steichen
Olivier
O
Eclache
Virginie
V
Fain
Olivier
O
Thomas
Michel
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005928:Glossitis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012907:Smoking; D013651:Taste Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D013652:Taste Threshold