TL;DR: This review is focused on the main causes of alteration, reduction, and loss of taste and their potential repercussion on dietary habits and health, with a special focus on the recently developed hypotheses regarding the mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 might alter taste perception.
Abstract: Our sense of taste arises from the sensory information generated after compounds in the oral cavity and oropharynx activate taste receptor cells situated on taste buds. This produces the perception of sweet, bitter, salty, sour, or umami stimuli, depending on the chemical nature of the tastant. Taste impairments (dysgeusia) are alterations of this normal gustatory functioning that may result in complete taste losses (ageusia), partial reductions (hypogeusia), or over-acuteness of the sense of taste (hypergeusia). Taste impairments are not life-threatening conditions, but they can cause sufficient discomfort and lead to appetite loss and changes in eating habits, with possible effects on health. Determinants of such alterations are multiple and consist of both genetic and environmental factors, including aging, exposure to chemicals, drugs, trauma, high alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, poor oral health, malnutrition, and viral upper respiratory infections including influenza. Disturbances or loss of smell, taste, and chemesthesis have also emerged as predominant neurological symptoms of infection by the recent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus strain 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as by previous both endemic and pandemic coronaviruses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and SARS-CoV. This review is focused on the main causes of alteration, reduction, and loss of taste and their potential repercussion on dietary habits and health, with a special focus on the recently developed hypotheses regarding the mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 might alter taste perception.
TL;DR: Taste disturbance is known to occur as one of the adverse events associated with chemotherapy for gynecological cancer, but few studies have attempted to assess it in practical terms.
TL;DR: Taste and smell acuity were determined in 50 normal subjects and 48 epileptic patients by means of Henkin's method and the significance of these findings in the pathogenesis of epileptic seizures is discussed.
Abstract: Taste and smell acuity were determined in 50 normal subjects and 48 epileptic patients by means of Henkin’s method. Smell detection thresholds are greatly reduced in epileptic patients, mainly those s
TL;DR: The taste threshold to the preferred taste in both groups was higher, therefore more food was needed to stimulate the taste nerves and it was suggested that the hypergeusia may also be a compensatory function, a consequence of the loss of seeing.
Abstract: Taste threshold detection and recognition were determined on 46 dyspeptic patients and on 42 blind controls. Among the dyspeptic patients 60% suffered from different taste disorders. Among the blind controls the frequency of taste disorder was 41%. Among the dyspeptic patients heterogeusia and dysgeusia dominated, threefold compared to the control blind persons. A mild hypergeusia appeared among the patients in 21%, among the blind in 8%. There was an enhanced hypergeusia in the group of blind persons (16%), but this was found in the group of dyspeptic patients in only 4%. It is suggested that the hypergeusia may also be a compensatory function, a consequence of the loss of seeing. There was an inverse ratio between the taste acuity and taste preference. The taste threshold to the preferred taste in both groups was higher, therefore more food was needed to stimulate the taste nerves.
TL;DR: Investigating the clinical characteristics of patients with taste problems as a primary complaint found taste disorders due to oral mucosal diseases and idiopathic taste disorder were the most frequent, followed by psychogenic taste disorder, drug-induced taste disorder and taste disorder due to dry mouth.
Abstract: There is tremendous variability in the ways patients present with taste problems. Because of complex and multifactorial etiological background, it is not simple to evaluate patients with taste disorders. Accurate assessment of patients' status by prudent, thorough history taking and symptom analysis is the most essential for exact diagnosis of taste disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with taste problems as a primary complaint. Consecutive series of 50 patients (12 males and 38 females, mean age 53.6 ± 14.7 years) were included for the present study. All subjects were requested to complete a comprehensive questionnaire. Clinical evaluation procedures included oral examination, interview, questionnaire analysis, panoramic radiography, blood test and measurement of salivary flow rate. The obtained results were as follows: 1. Among the patients, 36 patients (72%) complained of oral mucosal pain or burning sensation. Of these patients, 18 patients (36%) were diagnosed as burning mouth syndrome. 2. Nineteen patients (38%) complained of subjective oral dryness. The flow rate of unstimulated whole saliva was less than 0.1 mL/min in 14 patients (28%) and 17 (34%) had a stimulated whole salivary flow rate of less than 0.5 mL/min. 3. Among the types of taste disorders, hypogeusia, the most frequently reported, was found in 25 patients (50%), dysgeusia in 18 patients (36%), phantogeusia in 15 patients (30%), hypergeusia in 10 patients (20%), and ageusia in 5 patients (10%). Nineteen patients (38%) reported more than one type of taste disorder and the most frequent combination was dysgeusia + hypogeusia (n=6, 12%). 4. Based on data from the medical and dental histories and examinations, the patients were assigned to 12 probable causal categories. Taste disorders due to oral mucosal diseases and idiopathic taste disorder were the most frequent (n=9; 18%, each), followed by psychogenic taste disorder (n=8; 16%), drug-induced taste disorder (n=7; 14%), and taste disorder due to dry mouth (n=6; 12%). These 5 categories of taste disorder accounted for 78% of all cases in this study.