Research shows that a large number of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience taste dysfunction. Impairment of the taste sense has been associated with altering food choices, eating patterns, weight gain and loss, and malnutrition. Links have also been found between taste dysfunction, lower quality of life, and worse disease prognosis for the same population.

In a new case-control study, published in Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, scientists at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria sought to identify predictors and determine the severity of taste disorder among CKD patients. 

What They Did

The study included 100 patients and 100 healthy age- and gender-matched controls between the ages of 19 and 85. Patients had a diagnosis of CKD defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, regardless of albuminuria (the presence of the protein albumin in the urine). 

Pertinent data was collected via interviewer-assisted surveys, including:

• CKD Causes and Symptoms
• Duration of Illness
• Age, Height, Weight, and BMI
• Medical History
• Serum Creatinine Levels

Taste data was collected using separate strips containing examples of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour tastes, each in different levels of concentration. Plain, unflavored strips were also included to account for phantogeusia (the perception of having a particular taste in your mouth without direct stimulation of your taste buds by a food source or other item) and confabulation (the brain creating false memories to fill in gaps in real memories).

What They Found

The researchers’ data analyses revealed:

• CKD cases consisted of:
  • 4 in Stage 1
  • 8 in Stage 2
  • 19 in Stage 3
  • 22 in Stage 4 
  • 47 in Stage 5
• 27% of patients with CKD reported hypogeusia (reduced ability to taste), while taste function scores were within the normal range for all controls. 
• Increasing duration of CKD was a significant predictor of taste dysfunction among patients, particularly if longer than 24 months. 
• Disease stages and severity were not significantly related to taste dysfunction severity. 
• Though there was a significant relationship between age and taste function among controls, with people 55 and older showing more taste dysfunction, there was none among the patients with CKD. 
• No single treatment modality, among lifestyle modifications, medications, hemodialysis, and renal transplantation, showed an association with taste dysfunction among CKD.

What It Means

As most patients seen at the University hospital were in advanced stages of CKD, the study is limited by the unequal proportions of patients in different stages of the disease. However, the 27% prevalence of taste dysfunction among study patients was significant. The study authors suggest that incorporating taste function assessments into routine CKD doctor visits could improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

*Melillo, G. (2021, July 28). Longer CKD Duration Linked With Taste Dysfunction. AMJC.  https://www.ajmc.com/view/longer-ckd-duration-linked-with-taste-dysfunction