Dysgeusia (abnormal taste) is common in those with chronic kidney disease and contributes to poor nutritional intake. Previous sensory work has shown that taste improves after dialysis sessions. The goal of this pilot study was to characterize altered taste perceptions in patients on dialysis compared with healthy adults, and to evaluate relationships between serum parameters with taste perceptions. We hypothesized that patients undergoing dialysis would experience blunted taste intensities compared with controls, and that serum levels of potential tastants would be inversely related to taste perception of compounds. Using a cross-sectional design, we carried out suprathreshold sensory assessments (flavor intensity and liking) of tastants/flavors potentially influenced by kidney disease and/or the dialysis procedure. These included sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium phosphate, phosphoric acid, urea, ferrous sulfate, and monosodium glutamate. Individuals on maintenance hemodialysis (n= 17, 10 males, range 23-87 years) were compared with controls with normal gustatory function (n=29, 13 males, range 21-61 years). Unadjusted values for intensity and liking for the solutions showed minimal differences. However, when values were adjusted for participants' perceptions of water (as a control for taste abnormalities), intensity of monosodium glutamate, sodium chloride, and sodium phosphate solutions were more intense for patients on dialysis compared with controls. Some significant correlations were also observed between serum parameters, particularly potassium, for dialysis patients and sensory ratings. These results suggest altered taste perception in patients during dialysis warrants further study.

中文翻译：

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表征血液透析患者的消化不良。

味觉异常（味觉异常）在患有慢性肾脏疾病的患者中很常见，并导致营养摄入不足。先前的感官研究表明，透析后味道会改善。这项初步研究的目的是表征与健康成年人相比透析患者改变的味觉，并评估血清参数与味觉之间的关系。我们假设接受透析的患者与对照患者相比会感到味觉减弱，并且潜在促味剂的血清水平与化合物的味觉成反比。使用横截面设计，我们对可能受肾脏疾病和/或透析程序影响的味觉/风味进行了超阈值感官评估（风味强度和喜好）。这些包括氯化钠，氯化钾，氯化钙，磷酸钠，磷酸，尿素，硫酸亚铁和味精。将维持性血液透析的个体（n = 17，10男性，范围23-87岁）与具有正常味觉功能的对照组（n = 29，13男性，范围21-61岁）进行了比较。未经调整的强度和溶液喜好值显示出最小的差异。但是，当针对参与者对水的感知（作为对口味异常的控制）进行调整后，与对照组相比，接受透析的患者的味精，氯化钠和磷酸钠溶液的强度更高。在透析患者的血清参数（尤其是钾）与感觉等级之间也观察到一些显着的相关性。