Effect of zinc supplementation in patients with cirrhosis and dysgeusia

The prevalence of dysgeusia in patients with cirrhosis is higher than 50%; the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation in patients with cirrhosis and dysgeusia. Randomized clinical trial, double-blind, controlled with placebo of 34 patients. The intervention consisted of 100mg/day of zinc for six months. Improvement of dysgeusia was evaluated according to changes in perception (PT) and recognition (RT) thresholds of five flavors. Nutrient consumption was evaluated by SNUT questionnaire. Meanwhile, quality of life (QoL) was evaluated by LDQOL questionnaire. The trial was approved by the research ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained. 50% (n=17) of patients were male, 76.5% (n=26) presented PT dysgeusia, meanwhile 85%(n=29) presented RT dysgeusia; salty and umami were the most affected flavors. Twenty-eight patients accomplished the follow-up. PT dysgeusia showed significant improvement in the intervention group. (28.6% vs 57.1%, p=0.004) (Figure). Changes in RT and evaluation of each flavor did not show. Patients of intervention group increased protein consumption (61.8 g [48.6-67.1] vs 57.1g [39.5-60.5], p=0.05). According to QoL, patients with zinc supplementation showed higher punctuation of the worry domain (6.0 [5.2-6.4] vs. 4.4[2.9-5.5], p=0.007) and global QoL. (5.5[5.1-6.1] vs 5.0[4.7-5.8], p=0.05) The presence of dysgeusias in patients with cirrhosis could have a negative impact on nutritional status and its consequences; zinc supplementation seems to be a treatment option in these patients. Zinc supplementation improves the PT, protein consumption and global QoL in patients with cirrhosis and dysgeusia. The resources used in this study were from the hospital without any additional financing. The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.