Objective: To describe the prevalence, onset, associated symptoms, and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in-patients with olfactory and gustatory dysfunction at the Philippine General Hospital from March 2021 to January 2022 and determine the number of patients with olfactory dysfunction/dysgeusia who recovered or expired. : Methods Design: Prospective Cohort Study Setting: COVID-19 Referral Hospital (Tertiary National University Hospital) Participants: COVID-19 RT-PCR positive in-patients, ages 19 and older Results: A total of 207 patients were included. Sixty-four (64) patients reported olfactory dysfunction and 79 reported dysgeusia. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were observed early in the course of infection, before day 6 of illness. The average length of hospital stay was 20.36 days; those with olfactory dysfunction stayed for 17.53 days, dysgeusia for 19.92 days, and 21.09 days for those who noted neither. For those subsequently intubated, 0 had olfactory dysfunction, three reported dysgeusia, three had both and six had neither. Thirteen (13) patients in the study expired. Among them, none reported olfactory dysfunction and two had dysgeusia. Conclusions Our results corroborate existing literature that olfactory and gustatory dysfunction as key indicators of COVID-19 with 42.5% of participants reporting these symptoms early, often before day 6 of illness. Ninety-two percent (92%) of those affected recovered and had shorter hospital stays, emphasizing the importance of recognizing these dysfunctions for improved disease detection and outcomes.
Anosmia ; Dysgeusia ; COVID-19 ; Coronavirus

Humans ; Taste/physiology* ; Dysgeusia ; Nose Diseases ; Nose

The authors report a case of post-tonsillectomy dysgeusia and discuss the pathogenesis, diagnostics, as well as treatment options done in several reported cases. A 37-year-old man who was diagnosed with recurrent tonsillitis underwent bilateral palatine tonsillectomy, and on the second post-operative day, post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage ensued which required emergency hemostasis at the operating room. Intra-operative findings include active bleeding on the left tongue base, wherein hemostasis was achieved via electrodissection. After the procedure, patient noted a disturbance to taste that persisted for several months. Dysgeusia is an unusual complication of tonsillectomy, occurring in 0.3% to 9% of cases.
Tonsillectomy ; dysgeusia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: After bilateral mastoidectomy, taste change is common because of injury to chorda tympani nerve. We aimed to understand about the appropriate interval of sequential bilateral mastoidectomy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Retrospective review was carried out for 25 patients who underwent sequential bilateral mastoidectomy from March 2004 to November 2011. RESULTS: Among the 25 patients, there were 19 patients whose chorda tympani nerve was injured after bilateral mastoidectomy, and eight of those 19 patients complained of taste disturbance. The rates of dysfunction according to operation interval were within 6 month (55%, 5/9), between 6 and 12 months (33%, 2/6), and above 12 months (10%, 1/10). Compared to canal wall up mastoidectomy, for canal wall down mastoidectomy, taste disturbance was more common (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The result supports that at least 6 months interoperative period for bilateral chronic otitis media may be needed to avoid taste disturbance. A further large study may validate this result.
Chorda Tympani Nerve ; Dysgeusia ; Humans ; Otitis Media ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Dysgeusia ; Infarction

Taste is a critical component of a person's overall sense of well-being and quality of life. Loss of taste interferes with pleasure derived from food and food-related activities. Clinically, taste disorders are less common than smell disorders and therefore the work-up and understanding of taste disorders are limited. Taste is typically ignored by otolaryngologists, even though some otolaryngologic operative procedures compromise the functioning of this sense. Long-lasting postoperative dysgeusia is less frequent but has significant consequences on patients' quality of life, with some cases leading to medicolegal issues. Many drugs can affect the patient's sense of taste and contribute significantly to the morbidity of the associated illness. This report provides a brief overview of iatrogenic taste disorders and emphasizes the need for increased awareness among clinicians regarding these problems.
Dysgeusia ; Iatrogenic Disease ; Olfaction Disorders ; Pleasure ; Quality of Life ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Taste Disorders ; Tonsillectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative taste changes after uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is regarded as an unusual and minor complication. This study aims to evaluate the objective changes of taste threshold according to time course and subjective symptoms change. MATERIALS AND METHOD: With 45 patients who underwent UPPP and 35 patients who underwent nasal surgery as control group, we have prospectively studied postoperative taste changes using a questionnaire, and an electrogustometer (EGM) with regard to symptoms at 7th, 28th days after the surgery. EGM was measured at 5 areas. Also, we have checked pre-operatively about the serum level of zinc. RESULTS: With EGM, the threshold of taste was increased at 7th days after the surgery (p<0.05), but recovered 28th days after the surgery at the posterior part of the tongue in the UPPP group. There were no significant changes in subjective taste dysfunction, smell dysfunction, tongue sensory abnormality, and dysgeusia. CONCLUSION: Taste changes after UPPP was transient and they disappeared within the 1st postoperative month. There were no patients who complained of subjective taste dysfunction, dysgeusia, tongue sensory abnormality after UPPP.
Dysgeusia ; Humans ; Nasal Surgical Procedures ; Prospective Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Smell ; Taste Threshold ; Tongue

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Taste disorders have not received sufficient attention by otolaryngologists and only a few studies have documented the clinical characteristics of taste disorders. We therefore analyzed the characteristics of patients with taste disorders who visited our Taste and Smell Clinic over a 3-year period. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Sixty patients with taste disorders were investigated. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated according to the age, sex, duration of symptom, cause, and severity of taste disorder. RESULTS: Sixty percent of patients visited the clinic within 6 months of the onset of decrease in taste sensation. Multiple etiology was more common than single etiology. Taste disorder due to olfactory disorder was the most frequent etiology, followed by drug induced taste disorder and taste disorder due to zinc deficiency. Sixty percent of the patients experienced improvement of the taste abnormality. The efficacy of treatment decreased with increasing severity of taste disorder at the initial visit. CONCLUSION: Careful history taking and physical examination are needed for determination of the cause of any taste abnormality. The site and severity of dysgeusia should be determined through the chemical and electrical taste threshold test. Treatment should direct toward the causative abnormality, if possible.
Dysgeusia ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Sensation ; Smell ; Taste Disorders ; Taste Threshold ; Zinc

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During middle ear surgery, surgeons manipulate the chorda tympani nerve (CTN) at various degrees and warn the post-operative taste changes to patients preoperatively. The purpose of this study is to assess how many patients suffer from taste disturbance after surgery and the characteristics of their disease factors and surgical factors in patients complaining of it. In addition, it was designed to evaluate the clinical availability of electrogustometry (EGM)compared with subjective taste symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: One hundred thirty-one patients underwent middle ear surgery. Patients were divided to three groups, only tympanoplasty, tympano-ossiculoplasty without mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy. They were analysed by operative findings of CTN preserved, stretched, cut. The CTN function was measured at one day before surgery and one month after surgery by EGM. Taste questionnaires were given to all patients before and after surgery for one year. The results of EGM and questionnaires were compared with each other. RESULTS: In pre-operative EGM results of unilateral surgery, the lesion side of tongue had more elevated threshold of EGM than the contralateral side. In the post-operative EGM, any statistical factor was not significant and EGM results was not correlated with subjective symptoms. The results of the test questionnaraires was that thirty-three patients (25%) reported taste change. In tympanoplasty-preserved CTN group, more patients suffered from taste change than mastoidedctomy-cut CTN group. Symptoms were decreased taste sensation, dysgeusia, and decreased general sensation of tongue. Subjective recovery time was on the average of 2.7 months (two weeks to one year) after surgery. CONCLUSION: EGM was not correlated with subjective symptoms after surgery. Iatrogenic CTN injury in advanced middle ear infection may not cause taste disturbance. Surgeons should have efforts to preserve CTN in even mild middle ear diseases.
Chorda Tympani Nerve ; Diterpenes ; Dysgeusia ; Ear, Middle ; Humans ; Otitis Media ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sensation ; Tongue ; Tympanoplasty

Taste disorder is not rare in patients with acute stroke is not usually evaluated. There is also controversy about central gustatory pathways. We report one case of ipsilateral hemiaguesia induced by a right middle cerebral artery infarction. A right-handed 70-year-old woman presented with headache. She had a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The systemic examination revealed no abnormalities. Neurologic examination revealed left side hemispatial neglect and right side hemiageusia. Brain MRI showed high signal intensity in the right middle cerebral artery territory including the temporal lobe and parietal lobe with sparing insular cortex on T2 and diffusion weighted image (DWI). This case is suggestive of the existence of an uncrossed ascending gustatory pathway, explaining the ipsilateral hemiageusia above the midbrain lesion.
Aged ; Brain ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diffusion ; Dysgeusia ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Neurologic Examination ; Parietal Lobe ; Perceptual Disorders ; Stroke ; Taste Disorders ; Temporal Lobe