Energy and nutrient consumption of patients with dysgeusia.

To evaluate the effects of dysgeusia (taste distortion) on nutritional status, 3-day diet records, taste and smell function, and indexes of nutritional risk were measured in 65 patients with dysgeusia and in 37 normal volunteers. The patients with dysgeusia were categorized with the use of a semiquantitative scale into four types (I to IV) on the basis of the number and types of foods or beverages perceived as distorted. Energy intake decreased significantly as the severity of dysgeusia increased, but energy intake was unaffected by hypogeusia and/or hyposmia. In patients with dysgeusia, nutrient intake was correlated with energy intake. Intake of vitamins A and C and calcium was significantly less than the RDAs. Fifty-two percent of all patients with dysgeusia had at least one index of nutritional risk, and 11 percent exhibited more than three indexes.