Recovery of a patient with a recurrent dysgeusia monitored by salivary variables and serum zinc content

Abstract

A patient with dysgeusia of phantom sweetness was monthly monitored by a recently developed measurement of resting saliva besides of psychosomatic therapy since there were indications to be suspected declines in the serum zinc content and carbonic anhydrase activity at the first saliva inspection. The decline of serum zinc content was later supported by a chemical analysis of the blood, which was 83 μg dl −1. After the patient enhanced her nutritional intake of zinc rich foods, her serum zinc content rose to 88 μg dl −1 and her symptoms improved. However, when the concentration of her saliva Na + increased over 10 mM, the disappearance and reappearance of the phantom sweetness symptom repeated. Thus she was advised to maintain a medium level of Na + concentration by maintaining amount of weekly exercise, which contributed to obtain continuous disappearance of the phantom sweetness over 10 months. Her serum zinc content was between 94 and 101 μg dl −1 in the latter period, and Na + concentration was maintained around average value of young adults (6.3 mM). This paper also reports the correlation between subjective intensity of phantom sweetness and Na + concentration of saliva with a phase delay of 1 month.