Taste correlates of disease states: cystic fibrosis.

The purpose here was to test for a generalized abnormal sensitivity of 
the external chemoreceptive systems using a standardized method that separates sensory 
activity from biasing factors known to affect measurement of sensitivity. The 
frequency distributions of salt taste sensitivity for patients with cystic fibrosis 
are given. Normal siblings and control patients did not differ statistically, 
and they were combined into a single control group for analyses. 
The patients with cystic fibrosis did not differ as a group 
from the normal subjects in salt sensitivity. There were, however, two 
children with cystic fibrosis with taste sensitivities well below those observed 
among the normal children. No age or sex differences in sensitivity 
were observed. The taste sensitivity of the children with cystic fibrosis 
did not correlate with the Shwachman and Kulczycki rating of the 
severity of their disease. Of the seven children who had determinations 
of sweat electrolytes at the time of taste testing, three failed 
to excrete sufficient amounts for measurements. Patients with cystic fibrosis, as 
a group, were not found to have more sensitive taste acuity 
than normal. This corroborates the findings of Wotman and associates and 
strongly suggests that a general abnormality of the taste system is 
not routinely symptomatic of cystic fibrosis. Henkin and Powell hypothesized that 
extremely acute taste is related to elevations in the concentration of 
electrolytes in sweat. This seems unlikely since the patients given sweat 
tests in the present study all had the high levels of 
sodium and chloride characteristic of cystic fibrosis, yet all had taste 
sensitivities in the normal range. Wotman and associates suggested that perhaps 
the severity of the disease accounts for the appearance of hypersensitivity 
in the chemoreceptive systems. The clinical ratings of the severity of 
the disease did not correlate with taste sensitivity. 