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Olfactory and taste sensitivity in children with cystic fibrosis
Insights
Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) show normal taste sensitivity and slight hyposensitivity to odors. Saliva sodium levels may explain previous findings of taste hypersensitivity in CF patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Physiology
Background:
- Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder affecting multiple organs.
- Sensory function, including taste and smell, may be altered in CF.
- Previous studies reported conflicting findings regarding olfactory and gustatory sensitivity in CF.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate olfactory and taste sensitivities in children with cystic fibrosis.
- To compare sensory thresholds in CF patients with those of healthy children.
- To re-evaluate previous findings on hypersensitivity in CF.
Main Methods:
- Psychophysical experiments were conducted.
- Olfactory sensitivity to 1-butanol and sodium chloride was measured.
- Taste sensitivity to sodium chloride was assessed in normal and CF children.
Main Results:
- Children with cystic fibrosis exhibited normal olfactory and taste sensitivity.
- Taste hypersensitivity previously reported may be due to salivary sodium levels.
- CF patients demonstrated a slight hyposensitivity to odorants.
Conclusions:
- CF does not appear to cause significant alterations in taste or olfactory sensitivity.
- Salivary composition in CF may influence taste perception.
- Further research is needed to understand olfactory function in CF.
Abstract:
Psychophysical experiments measured both olfactory sensitivity to 1-butanol and sodium chloride and taste sensitivity to sodium chloride in normal children and in children with cystic fibrosis. The sensitivity of the children with cystic fibrosis fell within the normal range. These results stand in contrast to those of Henkin and Powell, who found children with cystic fibrosis to be hypersensitive to both olfactory and taste stimuli. Apparent hypersensitivity to taste stimuli could have resulted from the adapting effects of the relatively high level of sodium in the saliva of children with cystic fibrosis. If the contaminating effects of saliva are removed, children with cystic fibrosis yield, on the average, a taste threshold identical to that of normal children. There appears to be no simple explanation for why Henkin and Powell found hypersensitivity to odorants. The present results indicate that, in fact, children with cystic fibrosis display a slight hyposensitivity to odorants.