Subjective Gustatory Dysfunction Is Correlated With Subjective Olfactory Dysfunction in Geriatric Patients Regardless of Cognitive Function

Abstract

Background and Objectives Fewer studies are available on geriatric patients’ gustatorydysfunction than on their olfactory dysfunction. Here we aimed to evaluate the relationship be-tween subjective gustatory dysfunction and subjective or objective olfactory dysfunction ac-cording to cognitive function in geriatric patients. Subjects and Method We prospectively enrolled patients who underwent both cognitivefunction test and olfactory function test between August 2018 and May 2019. The correlationbetween subjective gustatory dysfunction and subjective olfactory dysfunction or convention-al olfactory function scores was evaluated for geriatric patients with or withhout cognitivedysfunction. Participants with a threshold-discrimination-identification (TDI) score (<21) onthe YSK olfactory function test were diagnosed with olfactory dysfunction. Subjective gusta-tory function and olfactory function were evaluated using the visual analog scale. The Koreanversion of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Packetand Mini-Mental State Examination were administered to all participants. Overall, 120 pa-tients (27 male, 93 female; mean age, 73.00±7.50 years) were enrolled. Results We found that the subjective gustatory function score did not correlate with thethreshold, discrimination, identification, or the summation of TDI scores of the olfactory func-tion test but was significantly associated with the subjective olfactory function score ( p<0.001). Further, there was no significant correlation between the subjective gustatory function scoreand cognitive function. Conclusion The subjective olfactory function score was the only factor significantly corre-lated with the subjective gustatory function score. Based on these results, we suggest evaluat-ing gustatory function in geriatric patients with olfactory dysfunction.