Evaluation of Gustatory Function in Patients with Sleep Disordered Breathing

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the difference between gustatory functions in a sleep disordered breathing (SDB) group and a control group. The pathogenesis of SDB has not been fully understood. Though the precise contributions of neuromuscular and anatomical factors on SDB pathogenesis are still debated, we hypothesized that the gustatory dysfunction could be predisposed to SDB. Methods: All patients were diagnosed as SDB by polysomnography (PSG). On the basis of PSG results, patients were divided into 3 groups: snoring, mixed, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The control group comprised healthy volunteers who were the same age as those of the SDB group and whose breathing was verified as normal using a portable sleep monitor device. The patient group and the control group were evaluated for gustatory functions with an electrogustometry (EGM). The electrical taste thresholds were measured in the anterior, midlateral, and posterior sides of the tongue and soft palatal regions, both sides. To find out the difference in EGM scores, statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-wallis and Mann-Whitney U test with 95% confidence interval and p<0.05 significance level. Results: The patients with SDB had higher EGM scores than the control group at all spots tested, except for the right midlateral of the tongue, and there was a statistical significance in the comparison between the control group and the divided SDB groups, respectively. Among the divided SDB groups, the snoring group had the most significant differences in the number of the measured spots, but there was no difference among the snoring, mixed, and OSA groups. Conclusions: These results may suggest that neurologic alterations with sleep disordered breathing could be associated with gustatory dysfunction. In the future, further systemic studies will be needed to confirm this study.