Relationships between salt intake and hypertension in patients with smell loss (1035.3)

Abstract

Smell loss (hyposmia) and hypertension are common but related medical problems. Associated with hyposmia is loss of ability to obtain flavor from food. To compensate for flavor loss hyposmic patients add excessive amounts of salt to food to obtain taste gratification. To study this we evaluated salt intake and blood pressure in 56 hyposmic patients and in 27 normal volunteers. Thirty‐two percent of patients self‐reported salt usage increased three times over that prior to their hyposmia; about two‐thirds exhibited hypertension. Treatment which restored smell function and thereby improved flavor perception decreased their salt intake which decreased incidence of hypertension. In a related study patients with hypertension eating a dry diet were given choice between distilled water and saline as their only fluid; hypertensives chose saline significantly more frequently than distilled water. Following treatment of their hypertension they reversed this pattern and chose more distilled water than saline. These results demonstrate that hyposmia generates increased salt intake with subsequent hypertension and that hypertension generates increased salt intake. Treatment which corrects hyposmia and hypertension causes decreased salt intake and decreased hypertension. These observations are clinically important since in the United States about 7% of people exhibit hyposmia and 3‐6% exhibit hypertension.