Factors associated with impaired psychophysical gustatory function.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics associated with measured gustatory dysfunction in patients with chemosensory (smell and taste) discomfort.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.

DESIGN: Hospital-based cohort.

SETTING: The clinical characteristics associated with the measured diagnosis of gustatory dysfunction were statistically analysed.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients who underwent all the psychophysical olfactory and chemical gustatory function tests (YSK olfactory function test and chemical gustometry exam) and the subjective questionnaires between October 2021 and February 2023.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: YSK olfactory function test and chemical gustometry results, subjective questionnaire score about chemosensory (smell and taste) functions. The Medical records of patients who visited the smell and taste centre in a tertiary.

RESULTS: A total of 219 patients were enrolled; 180 were diagnosed as having normal gustatory function, and 39 were diagnosed as having gustatory dysfunction. Subjective recognition of gustatory function was not associated with the measured gustatory function. Age, sex, measured olfactory function and the threshold and discrimination scores for the olfactory function test were significant factors in the multivariate analysis. When the patients were further divided according to age, the threshold test scores rather than other subsets in the olfactory function test were significantly associated with measured gustatory dysfunction in patients 60 and older.

CONCLUSION: In older adult male patients with olfactory dysfunction, gustatory function should be considered regardless of subjective gustatory dysfunction.