title: Improvement in taste sensitivity following pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Weight loss is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Anorexia, postulated to be associated with alteration in taste sensitivity, may contribute to weight loss in these patients. Pulmonary rehabilitation is known to lead to improved exercise performance in patients with COPD. However, the relationship between pulmonary rehabilitation and taste sensitivity has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to compare taste sensitivity before and after pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-group intervention trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two patients with COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  The six-min walk distance (6MWD), COPD assessment test, body mass index, fat mass index, fat-free mass index and taste test were conducted before and after 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation. Taste sensitivity was evaluated using the filter-paper disc method for 4 taste stimuli. Taste stimuli were salty, sweet, sour, and bitter tastes. Taste sensitivity was evaluated before and after pulmonary rehabilitation using the taste recognition threshold.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following pulmonary rehabilitation, the 6MWD, COPD assessment test, salty recognition threshold, sweet recognition threshold and bitter recognition threshold improved significantly, whereas there were no significant improvements in body mass index, fat mass index, fat-free mass index or sour recognition threshold.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pulmonary rehabilitation may improve taste sensitivity in patients with COPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Rehabilitation Science, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, , Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kohzuki
authors.forename: Tamao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebihara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000502:physiology*