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Olfactory and gustatory disturbances caused by digitalism: a case report
Tadashi Ishimaru1, Hideaki Yokogawa
1Department of Otolaryngology, Nanto General Hospital, 2007-5 Umeno, Nanto, Toyama, Japan. taishimaru-alg@umin.ac.jp
Auris, Nasus, Larynx
|May 30, 2006
Summary
Digoxin overdose can cause visual disturbances and may also affect smell and taste. This case report details a patient experiencing hyposmia and hypogeusia due to high digoxin levels, which resolved upon normalization.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside used to treat heart failure and arrhythmias.
- Known side effects include visual disturbances, such as blurred vision or yellow halos.
- Effects of digoxin on the senses of smell and taste are not well-documented.
Observation:
- A 62-year-old male patient with chronic digoxin use presented with visual disturbances.
- Serum digoxin levels were elevated at 6.0 ng/ml, indicative of digitalis toxicity.
- The patient also reported reduced sense of smell (hyposmia) and taste (hypogeusia).
Findings:
- The patient experienced concurrent visual, olfactory, and gustatory disturbances.
- These chemosensory disturbances resolved as serum digoxin levels returned to the therapeutic range.
- This suggests a potential link between digoxin toxicity and altered smell and taste perception.
Implications:
- Digoxin toxicity may impact multiple sensory systems beyond vision.
- The mechanism may involve sodium-potassium-adenosine triphosphatase (Na-K-ATPase) in chemosensory receptor cells, similar to photoreceptor cells.
- Clinicians should consider evaluating smell and taste function in patients with suspected digoxin toxicity.
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