Hakan Tekeli1, Mehmet G Senol1, Aytug Altundag2, Esin Yalcınkaya3, Mustafa T Kendirli1, Halit Yaşar4, Murat Salihoglu5, Omer Saglam6, Melih Cayonu7, Enver Cesmeci8, Thomas Hummel9. 1. GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Department of Neurology, İstanbul, Turkey. 2. Istanbul Surgery Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, İstanbul, Turkey. 3. Koru Hospitals, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ankara, Turkey. 4. Ankara Mevki Military Hospital, Department of Neurology, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: yasarhalit@gmail.com. 5. GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, İstanbul, Turkey. 6. Kasımpasa Military Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, İstanbul, Turkey. 7. Amasya Training And Research Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Amasya, Turkey. 8. Diyarbakır Military Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Diyarbakır, Turkey. 9. Technical University of Dresden, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Smell and Taste Clinic, Dresden, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is commonly viewed as a muscle disorder. Less is known about neurosensory function and dysfunction in MG. We aim to evaluate olfactory and gustatory behavior in Turkish patients with MG, and compare these results with age and sex-matched healthy controls. MATERIAL/ METHODS: 30 individuals with MG, and 30 healthy volunteers were studied. Olfactory function was studied with the Sniffin' sticks test. Taste strip test was used for studying taste function. The t-test was used for analyzing continuous variables, and the chi-square test for categorical data. Clinical staging and medication status were included in a model analyzed using analysis of variances. RESULTS: MG patients showed significantly lower olfactory (p<0.001) and gustatory scores (p<0.001) than the healthy controls. In addition, olfactory loss correlated with the severity of the disease. Medications for MG did not influence these results. CONCLUSION: This study replicates the olfactory dysfunction found elsewhere in MG. Further, gustatory dysfunction, an activity unrelated to muscle strength, was also unveiled. Medications used for treating MG must not be blamed for the chemosensory dysfunction found in this neurological disorder.
OBJECTIVE:Myasthenia gravis (MG) is commonly viewed as a muscle disorder. Less is known about neurosensory function and dysfunction in MG. We aim to evaluate olfactory and gustatory behavior in Turkish patients with MG, and compare these results with age and sex-matched healthy controls. MATERIAL/ METHODS: 30 individuals with MG, and 30 healthy volunteers were studied. Olfactory function was studied with the Sniffin' sticks test. Taste strip test was used for studying taste function. The t-test was used for analyzing continuous variables, and the chi-square test for categorical data. Clinical staging and medication status were included in a model analyzed using analysis of variances. RESULTS:MGpatients showed significantly lower olfactory (p<0.001) and gustatory scores (p<0.001) than the healthy controls. In addition, olfactory loss correlated with the severity of the disease. Medications for MG did not influence these results. CONCLUSION: This study replicates the olfactory dysfunction found elsewhere in MG. Further, gustatory dysfunction, an activity unrelated to muscle strength, was also unveiled. Medications used for treating MG must not be blamed for the chemosensory dysfunction found in this neurological disorder.