Gustatory dysfunction in euthyroid primary hypothyroidism.

Abstract

Objectives: The study assessed gustatory functions in patients with primary hypothyroidism who are euthyroid on supplemental hormone therapy with levothyroxine over six months' duration and to evaluate the association of gustatory dysfunction, if any, with the serum TSH levels.

Design: This analytical community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2021, following participants' ethical approval and written informed consent.

Setting: The study was conducted in a tertiary health care centre in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Participants: Sixty-eight subjects participated in this study: 34 primary hypothyroid patients and an equal number of healthy controls.

Interventions: Gustatory sensations were assessed by the triple drop test, and scores were given depending on the identification of the tastants (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). The taste scores were compared, and the association between TSH levels and gustatory parameters were evaluated.

Results: Overall taste scores were lesser in hypothyroid patients. This finding depicted that their taste thresholds were increased and were statistically significant (p < 0.001), though the association between the degree of hypogeusia and TSH levels was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Patients with primary hypothyroidism can suffer from hypogeusia, which may revert to normal once they achieve euthyroid status with levothyroxine supplementation. However, this has not been conclusively shown in studies. Our study concluded that hypogeusia was present in primary hypothyroidism despite patients being euthyroid on hormone supplementation, and it was not dependent on the serum TSH levels.

Funding: None declared.