Primary Taste Thresholds in Children with Leukemia Undergoing Marrow Transplantation

Abstract

Taste threshold for the four basic tastes were determined to assess taste impairments in 11 children with acute leukemia undergoing marrow transplantation and in 20 normal children. Thresholds were measured on admission, 2 days, and 45 days after transplant using the Up-Down Staircase method. No significant difference was noted between patients at admission and the control group for sweet, bitter, or salt. There was a significant difference between patients and controls for the sour threshold (p = 0.006). Patient threshold values on day 2 and day 45 (posttransplant were compared with admission values. No significant differences were seen, except for the salt threshold which was increased at day 2 posttransplant when compared with the admission values. We conclude that only minor changes in taste thresholds were demonstrated in this study. These changes probably do not account for abnormal food tastes reported by patients.

Quality of life, taste, olfactory and oral function following high-dose chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation

“…Only minor changes were noted, with salt threshold increased by day 2 post-HCT. 17 Interestingly, these authors note that taste changes identified did not account for reported taste change. A retrospective taste study was conducted in 15 allo-HCT patients a mean of 30.6 Ϯ 15.8 months post-HCY, 23 compared to eight auto-HCT patients a mean of 24.12 Ϯ 12.18 months and 20 consecutive normal subjects by threshold taste testing.…”

“…15,17,23 In one study, thresholds were assessed for the four tastes using the up-down staircase method in 11 children undergoing HCT compared with 20 healthy children. 17 No differences were seen on admission between HCT and control patients. Only minor changes were noted, with salt threshold increased by day 2 post-HCT.…”

“…26 Taste has been the subject of a limited number of transplant studies with the threshold for salt altered in these reports. 15,17,23 Dietary management may include increase in the concentration of flavor ingredients to compensate for sensory loss. 18 Patients undergoing chemotherapy may also report dysosmia, which may occur as a result of the drugs diffusing from the nasal capillaries to the olfactory receptors or by orthonasal olfaction.…”

Taste and smell dysfunction in childhood cancer survivors

“…In the paediatric oncology population, prevalence rates of a taste dysfunction do not exist though it has been reported to be an issue during cancer therapy [32,7]. A taste dysfunction during the more intensive pediatric HSCT have been reported to be around 40% [30].…”

Leukemia Case in Patient with Taste Dysfunction

“…On the other hand, one previous study reported that patients who have received bone marrow transplants, and who are undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, exhibit taste dysfunction as a side effect of such treatment 2) . It has also been reported that post-bone marrow transplant patients are prone to changes in their taste thresholds, as well as changes in their sensitivity to sweet, sour and salty tastes 1,6) , and that this decrease in taste sensitivity recovers by up to 80% during the first year after transplantation 6) . Considering these previous reports, we suggest that bone marrow function is related to taste dysfunction.…”