Gustatory and olfactory sensitivity in patients with anorexia and bulimia in the course of treatment.
BACKGROUND
The majority of studies on taste and smell in eating disorders have revealed several alterations of olfactory or gustatory functions. Aim of this prospective study was to employ detailed olfactory and gustatory testing in female subjects of three homogenous groups - anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and healthy controls - and to look at the effects of treatment on these measures.


METHODS
Sixteen hospitalized female patients with anorexia (restricting type, mean age [M]=24.5 years), 24 female patients with bulimia (purging type, M=24.3 years) as well as 23 healthy controls (M=24.5 years) received olfactory ("Sniffin' Sticks") and gustatory testing ("Taste Strips"). Group differences in olfactory and gustatory sensitivity, body mass index (BMI), the Beck depression inventory, the eating attitudes test (EAT), and the influence of therapy on gustatory and olfactory function were investigated.


RESULTS
(1) Group differences were present for odor discrimination and overall olfactory function with anorexic patients having the lowest scores. (2) Regarding taste function, controls scored higher than patients with anorexia. (3) At admission small but significant correlations were found between overall olfactory function and body weight (r(63)=0.35), BMI (r(63) = 0.37), and EAT score (r(63) = -0.27). Similarly, (4) the taste test score correlated significantly with body weight (r(63)= 0.48), and BMI (r(63) = 0.45). Finally, (5) at discharge overall olfactory and gustatory function were significantly higher compared to admission in anorexic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
As compared to healthy controls and bulimic patients our results show lowered olfactory and gustatory sensitivities in anorexic patients that improved with increasing BMI and decreasing eating pathology in the course of treatment.
Aschenbrenner
Katja
K
Department for Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Dresden Medical School, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany. kaschenbrenner@jbpierce.org
Scholze
Ninette
N
Joraschky
Peter
P
Hummel
Thomas
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000855:Anorexia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002032:Bulimia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D055697:Taste Perception; D013652:Taste Threshold; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult