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Impact of the severity of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease on the gustatory sensitivity of older persons

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the association between the severity of dementia and taste recognition abilities in older persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Methods

Anthropometric measurements were performed and body mass index was used to determine the nutritional status. The taste strips were used to test gustatory functions of the five basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami).

Results

A total of 30 healthy younger subjects, 30 healthy older subjects, 37 with mild stage AD and 23 with moderate stage AD were recruited. The older subjects with moderate AD showed a significant reduction of taste, less recognition of bitter and salty taste (score: 10.6 ± 2.6; 2.6 ± 0.9; 1.7 ± 1.5) when compared to older people without cognitive impairment (score: 13.3 ± 1.8; 3.4 ± 0.9; 3.2 ± 0.9), and less recognition of sweet taste (score: 2.9 ± 1.2) when compared to subjects with mild stage AD (score: 3.6 ± 0.8). Impaired recognition of salty taste was detected since the early stages of AD. Among the factors that possibly influence gustatory function, a significant correlation was detected between taste ability and age, medication intake, mini-mental state examination and the nutritional status.

Conclusion

The severity of dementia is directly associated with greater impairment of taste sensitivity, especially among older subjects with moderate stage disease.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Priscila Cansian Rossin for the help in collecting data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical School of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900-Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil

    Patricia V. Contri-Degiovanni, Gabriel C. Degiovanni, Eduardo Ferriolli, Nereida Kilza da Costa Lima & Julio C. Moriguti

  2. R. Luiz Vaz de Camões, 111. Vila Celina, CEP: 13.566-448, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Patricia V. Contri-Degiovanni

Authors
  1. Patricia V. Contri-Degiovanni
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  2. Gabriel C. Degiovanni
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  3. Eduardo Ferriolli
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  4. Nereida Kilza da Costa Lima
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  5. Julio C. Moriguti
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Correspondence to Patricia V. Contri-Degiovanni.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Reference number: 7547/2014) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants or formal representatives in the case of individuals with dementia included in the study.

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Contri-Degiovanni, P.V., Degiovanni, G.C., Ferriolli, E. et al. Impact of the severity of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease on the gustatory sensitivity of older persons. Aging Clin Exp Res 32, 2303–2309 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-019-01442-w

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