Dysgeusia

From Anvita Health Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Etiology 3 Pathology 4 Clinical-manifestations 5 Laboratory 6 Differential-diagnosis 7 Management 8 More General Terms 9 Additional Terms 10 References

Introduction

• Impairment of taste.

Etiology

• impairment of access to receptors in the taste buds

• xerostomia

• Sjogren's syndrome
• heavy metal intoxication
• bacterial colonization of the taste pore
• hyponatremia

• injury to taste receptor cells ( sensory loss)

• inflammatory or degenerative disease in the oral cavity

• thermal or chemical burn

• pharmaceutical agents

• anti-thyroid agents ( methimazole, propylthiouracil)
• antineoplastic agents ( cyclophosphamide, methotrexate ..)
• ACE inhibitors, ARBs, Ca+2 channel blockers ( nifedipine)
• antibiotics ( metronidazole, clarithromycin ..)
• drugs causing xerostomia ( anticholinergic agents)

• radiation therapy to the oral cavity & pharynx
• viral infections
• endocrine disorders
• neoplasms
• aging

• damage to gustatory afferent nerves

• neoplasms
• trauma
• surgery

• CNS causes (general)

• Alzheimer's disease & other neurodegenerative diseases
• CNS neoplams
• psychiatric disease
• stroke

• other oral causes

• dental infection
• periodontal disease
• poor oral hygiene
• burning mouth syndrome
• candidiasis
• laceration

• nutritional deficiency

• zinc deficiency
• vitamin B12 deficiency

• pharmaceuticals altering taste

Pathology

• taste buds remain degenerate when their gustatory afferents are severed, but remain when their somatosensory afferents are severed

Clinical-manifestations

• may be complete impairment of taste (sweet, salt, sour, bitter)
• may be partial loss of taste; ability to recognize some, but not other gustatory sensations
• may be specific loss in ability to taste certain foods
• may be a distortion in the perception of taste
• may be gustatory hallucinations

Laboratory

• testing with sucrose, citric acid, caffeine & NaCl
• electrogustometry
• biopsy of foliate or fungiform papillae

Differential-diagnosis

• olfactory disorder

Management

• treat xerostomia
• treat infection
• withdraw offending pharmaceutical agents
• zinc & vitamins recommended by some, but evidence of benefit is lacking

More General Terms

• sign/symptom

Additional Terms

• gustatory
• olfactory disorder
• Sjogren's syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, autoimmune epitheliitis)
• taste
• taste bud; caliculus gustatorius; Schwalbe corpuscle; gustatory bud
• xerostomia (asialism, dry mouth)

References

1. Stedman's Medical Dictionary 26th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1995
2. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 173-74
3. Prescriber's Letter 13(2): 2006 Detail-Document#: [1] (subscription needed) [2]

dysgeusia (taste disorder)