Taste Disorders (Dysgeusia)

Dysgeusia – colloquially called taste disorder – (synonyms: taste disorder; ICD-10.GM R43.2: parageusia) refers to a pathological (pathological) change in taste. This can have a variety of causes. In addition to the frequently acquired disorders that only occur in the course of life, there are also congenital (inborn) disorders of taste, although these are rare.

Dysgeusia can be classified according to the following criteria:

  • Epithelial cause – cause in the area of the mucosa (mucous membrane)/taste buds.
  • Traumatic cause – consequences of injury as the cause
  • Central nervous cause – cause in the nervous system.

Furthermore, dysgeusia can be divided into:

  • Qualitative disorders – these include:
    • Parageusia – alteration of the sense or perception of taste.
    • Phantogeusia – perception of taste sensations in the absence of a stimulus source.
  • Quantitative disorders – these include:
    • Ageusia – complete failure of the sense of taste/tasting ability.
    • Hypergeusia – pathologically (pathologically) increased sense of taste or increased gustatory sensitivity.
    • Hypogeusia – partial failure or weakening of the sense of taste / taste ability.

The sense of taste in the tongue is limited to five basic qualities (sour, bitter, salty, sweet, umami). Only the retronasal smelling makes the fine taste (flowers (fragrances), wine (aromas), etc.): Volatile aroma compounds released when food is consumed are transported through the pharynx into the paranasal sinus to the olfactory receptor cells (olfactory sensory cells).

Note: Patients often describe a tasting disorder (taste disorder), although retronasal olfaction is actually disturbed.

Compared to olfactory disorders (dysosmia), taste disorders are rare. Often, the two disorders occur in combination. If dysgeusia occurs alone, it is usually a qualitative disorder.

Dysgeusia can be a symptom of many diseases (see under “Differential diagnoses”).

Course and prognosis: In the course of the disease, the sense of taste may even fail completely.Specific treatment options for taste disorders are not available. Parageusia as well as phantogeusia (both are among the common taste disorders) are hardly treatable, but regress spontaneously (on their own) in about 60% of cases after less than a year.Idiopathic taste disorders (diseases with an unknown cause) also often regress spontaneously.The prognosis of taste disorders depends on the cause and the time that has passed since the onset of the disorder.