Salivary Zinc level and Taste Detection Thresholds in Hypertensive Patients on Amlodipine and on Losartan (A Comparative Study)

Abstract

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of greatest risk factors for cardiovascular disease,whichis a remarkable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The outcome of hypertension (HTN) andcardiovascular disease (CVD) is influenced by a wide variation of risk factors like use of tobacco; excessivealcohol consumption; unhealthy diet, few physical activity ,overweight and obesity; high blood glucose,and abnormal blood lipids. The objectives of this study were to evaluate taste detection thresholds (offour basic tastes) of hypertensive patients on Amlodipine 5 mg and on Losartan 50 mg. And to estimateZinc level in saliva of those patients and compare it with control subjects. A total of 90 subjects wereincorporated in this study they were divided into three groups: 1-Thirty patients on Amlodipine (5mg)2-Thirty patients on Losartan (50mg) and 3- Thirty healthy control subjects. Unstimulated whole saliva wascollected from all subjects including in this study. Volume of 5 ml of each taste gradient solution,was offeredto the participants. The samples were subjected to biomechanical analysis to estimate zinc level by usingthe atomic absorption spectrophotometer.The result showed that the taste detection threshold of sucrose andsault were significantly higher in patients on Amlodipine and on Losartan treatment than in control subjects.While the taste detection threshold of sour and bitter showed no significant differences between the studygroups. Also there is un alteration in salivary Zinc, Zinc in patients on Amlodipine and on Losartan wassignificantly lower compared to control group.