Taste Disorders (Dysgeusia): Or something else? Differential Diagnosis

Congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99).

  • Turner syndrome (synonyms: Ullrich-Turner syndrome, UTS) – genetic disorder that is usually sporadic; girls/females with this disorder have only one functional X chromosome instead of the usual two (monosomy X); et al. Among other things, with an anomaly of the aortic valve (33% of these patients have an aneurysm/diseased bulging of an artery); it is the only viable monosomy in humans and occurs approximately once in 2,500 female newborns.

Blood, blood-forming organs – immune system (D50-D90).

Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).

  • Diabetes mellitus (diabetes).
  • Iron deficiency
  • Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland)
  • Severe vitamin deficiency, unspecified

Skin and subcutaneous (L00-L99)

  • Pemphigus – group of blistering skin diseases.

Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).

  • Candidiasis (fungal infection)
  • Inflammation of the central nervous system, unspecified.
  • Infections of the upper respiratory tract
  • Viral infections, unspecified
    • SARS-CoV-2 (synonyms: novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV); 2019-nCoV (2019-novel coronavirus; coronavirus 2019-nCoV): in a survey of patients at the University Hospital of Milan, 34% of this group of patients reported a disturbance of the sense of smell or taste; 19% reported both.

Mouth, esophagus (food pipe), stomach, and intestines (K00-K67; K90-K93).

  • Atrophic glossitis (inflammation of the tongue).
  • Xerostomia (dry mouth)

Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).

  • Sjögren’s syndrome (group of sicca syndromes) – autoimmune disease from the group of collagenoses, resulting in a chronic inflammatory disease of the exocrine glands, most commonly the salivary and lacrimal glands; typical sequelae or complications of sicca syndrome are:
    • Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye syndrome) due to lack of wetting of the cornea and conjunctiva with tear fluid.
    • Increased susceptibility to caries due to xerostomia (dry mouth) due to reduced salivary secretion.
    • Rhinitis sicca (dry nasal mucous membranes), hoarseness and chronic cough irritation and impaired sexual function due to disruption of mucous gland production of the respiratory tract and genital organs.

Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).

  • Acoustic neuroma (AKN) – benign tumor arising from the Schwanńs cells of the vestibular portion of the VIII. Cranial nerve, the auditory and vestibular nerves (vestibulocochlear nerve), and is located in the cerebellopontine angle or in the internal auditory canal. Acoustic neuroma is the most common cerebellopontine angle tumor. More than 95% of all AKNs are unilateral. In contrast, in the presence of neurofibromatosis type 2, acoustic neuroma typically occurs bilaterally.
  • Brain tumors, unspecified
  • Tumors of the oral cavity, unspecified

Psyche – nervous system (F00-F99; G00-G99)

  • Apoplexy (stroke)
  • Depression
  • Inflammation of the central nervous system, unspecified
  • Epilepsy (seizure disorder)
  • Familial dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome) – disease of the involuntary (autonomic) nervous system.
  • Brainstem lesions – injury, hemorrhage, infarction in the area of the brainstem.
  • Idiopathic facial nerve palsy (most common peripheral nerve lesion and by far the most common cranial nerve lesion).
  • Peripheral nerve lesion (especially VII and IX cranial nerves).
  • Multiple sclerosis – neurological disease characterized by demyelination of the central nervous system.
  • Nerve damage – v. a. after surgery on the middle ear, tonsils, throat; dental treatment.
  • Progressive paralysis – late stage of syphilis, which can lead primarily to many different neurological symptoms such as dementia, personality disorders, paresis (paralysis), etc.
  • Psychosis
  • Schizophrenia

Genitourinary system (kidneys, urinary tract – reproductive organs) (N00-N99)

  • Kidney disease, unspecified

Injuries, poisonings, and other sequelae of external causes (S00-T98).

  • Commotio cerebri (concussion).
  • Contusio cerebri (cerebral contusion)
  • Fractures (bone fractures) of the skull
  • Carbon dioxide poisoning
  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • Heavy metal intoxication, unspecified

Other

  • Physiological dysgeusia in old age
  • Post-traumatic anosmia-ageusia syndrome – syndrome consisting of tasting and smelling disorders resulting from an injury
  • Condition after chemotherapy, radiatio (radiotherapy) or surgery in the oral cavity.

Medication

Environmental stresses – intoxications (poisonings).

  • Carbon dioxide poisoning