Zhu Qingyong, Liu Han, Wang Jiuqi, Feng Renyi, Ma Mingming, Wang Xuejing, Ding Xuebing
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Department of Neurology, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
J Neurol. 2025 Mar 1;272(3):238. doi: 10.1007/s00415-025-12983-8.
Taste impairment is a prevalent issue among individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD). However, understanding taste disorders among different Parkinsonism remains incomplete. Our objective was to assess the incidence and severity of taste responses to sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami substances in patients with iPD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and multiple system atrophy (MSA).
Taste function was evaluated by assessing the intensity ratings of four concentrations of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami in 221 healthy controls (HCs), 251 iPD patients, 156 PSP patients, and 60 MSA patients. The Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis was employed to discern differences in taste function among groups. Logistic regression models were utilized to analyze the association between disease severity and taste function.
Participants with iPD, PSP, and MSA exhibited lower total taste scores (TTS) compared to HCs (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.0002, respectively). The TTS was significantly lower in iPD patients compared to PSP and MSA patients (P = 0.0024 and P = 0.0464, respectively), with no discernible difference between PSP and MSA patients (P = 0.9998). Furthermore, in patients with iPD, both disease severity and gastrointestinal function exhibited a significant negative correlation with the TTS. However, the taste test lacked the potency to reliably distinguish iPD from PSP and MSA.
These research findings suggest that taste impairment emerges as a phenotype of Parkinsonism, serving as a basis for differential diagnosis and guiding dietary adjustments for patients.
味觉障碍在特发性帕金森病（iPD）患者中是一个普遍存在的问题。然而，对于不同帕金森综合征患者味觉障碍的了解仍不完整。我们的目的是评估iPD、进行性核上性麻痹（PSP）和多系统萎缩（MSA）患者对甜、咸、酸、苦和鲜味物质的味觉反应的发生率和严重程度。
通过评估221名健康对照者（HCs）、251名iPD患者、156名PSP患者和60名MSA患者对四种浓度的甜、咸、酸、苦和鲜味的强度评分来评估味觉功能。采用Kruskal-Wallis单向分析来辨别各组之间味觉功能的差异。使用逻辑回归模型分析疾病严重程度与味觉功能之间的关联。
与HCs相比，iPD、PSP和MSA参与者的总味觉评分（TTS）较低（分别为P < 0.0001、P < 0.0001和P = 0.0002）。iPD患者的TTS显著低于PSP和MSA患者（分别为P = 0.0024和P = 0.0464），PSP和MSA患者之间无明显差异（P = 0.9998）。此外，在iPD患者中，疾病严重程度和胃肠功能均与TTS呈显著负相关。然而，味觉测试无法可靠地区分iPD与PSP和MSA。
这些研究结果表明，味觉障碍是帕金森综合征的一种表型，可为患者的鉴别诊断和饮食调整提供依据。
