Taste function in patients with Parkinson disease.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Taste function is crucial for nutrition and overall health.
• The impact of Parkinson disease (PD) on taste perception remains poorly understood.
• Non-motor symptoms of PD are increasingly recognized for their impact on quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess taste function in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).
• To investigate potential correlations between taste impairment and demographic or clinical factors in PD.
• To determine if taste dysfunction should be considered a non-motor symptom of PD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized filter paper taste strip tests (TSTs) with four basic tastes at varying concentrations.
• Assessed taste function in 31 PD patients and 29 healthy controls.
• Analyzed TST scores in relation to PD diagnosis, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination scores, age, PD duration/severity, and olfactory function.

Main Results:

• PD patients exhibited significantly lower mean TST scores compared to healthy controls, indicating taste impairment.
• Taste dysfunction was primarily observed in female PD patients and correlated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores.
• No significant correlation was found between TST scores and age, PD duration, PD severity, or olfactory function.

Conclusions:

• Taste dysfunction is a quantifiable non-motor symptom in Parkinson disease (PD).
• Female PD patients are particularly susceptible to taste impairment.
• The findings support the inclusion of taste dysfunction in the spectrum of non-motor symptoms associated with PD.