Departments of Basic Biomedical Science, Medical University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland.
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Dec;24(12):1400-5. doi: 10.1097/MEG.0b013e3283589f63.
Decreased appetite is one of the main factors that influences quality of life of patients with chronic liver diseases. The reason for appetite disorders remains unclear but taste perturbations are one of the postulated causes. The potential role of taste alterations and, connected to these, appetite disorders in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients are poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential taste alterations (dysgeusia) including all five tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami) in CHC patients.
Forty CHC patients (16 men and 24 women) infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus participated in this study. All the patients had a compensated liver disease and were being treated with any agents. One hundred and ten healthy volunteers were matched to the patients by age and sex. The study included gustatory tests (taste recognition threshold, taste intensity with hedonic perception) and analysis of the pleasure derived from eating.
In CHC patients, the recognition threshold of umami taste was increased (P<0.01) and the intensity of sweet taste perception was higher (P<0.05). The hedonic response did not differ between the groups. A significant increase in declared pleasure derived from eating (P<0.001 to P<0.05) was also observed. Some differences in case of the patients with more advanced disease were also found.
Alterations in taste, especially umami and sweet taste disorders, may alter real food perception and lead to a reduction in food intake in some CHC patients.
食欲减退是影响慢性肝病患者生活质量的主要因素之一。食欲紊乱的原因尚不清楚，但味觉障碍是推测的原因之一。味觉改变及其与慢性丙型肝炎（CHC）患者食欲紊乱的潜在关系尚未得到充分研究。本研究旨在评估 CHC 患者潜在的味觉改变（味觉障碍），包括所有五种味觉（甜、咸、苦、酸和鲜味）。
40 名感染基因型 1 丙型肝炎病毒的 CHC 患者（16 名男性和 24 名女性）参与了本研究。所有患者均患有代偿性肝病，并正在使用任何药物治疗。110 名健康志愿者与患者按年龄和性别相匹配。该研究包括味觉测试（味觉识别阈值、味觉强度和愉悦感）和对进食愉悦感的分析。
在 CHC 患者中，鲜味的识别阈值升高（P<0.01），甜味感知强度增加（P<0.05）。两组的愉悦感反应没有差异。也观察到进食愉悦感显著增加（P<0.001 至 P<0.05）。在疾病更严重的患者中也发现了一些差异。
味觉改变，特别是鲜味和甜味障碍，可能改变真实食物的感知，并导致一些 CHC 患者的食物摄入量减少。
