Taste sensitivity is altered in patients with chronic renal failure receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Decreased taste sensitivity may be one of the many factors influencing the poor nutritional status of many patients with chronic renal failure. Several studies examining taste in chronic uremic and hemodialysis (HD) patients indicate decreased sensitivity; continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients, however, warrant investigation. The aim of this study was to determine if the taste detection threshold for each of the four tastes (sweet, salty, sour and bitter) differs between CAPD patients and age and sex matched controls with normal renal function. The thresholds were determined using Cornsweet's staircase technique for increasing and decreasing stimulus concentration, in which the subject's response determines the next concentration to be tested. A forced-choice design using three samples was used to help minimize bias. The taste detection threshold for the CAPD patients was significantly higher than that of the controls for sodium chloride (salty)(P = 0.001) and quinine (bitter) (P = 0.01). This information may be useful when designing dietary supplements and devising meal plans to help patients consume nutritionally adequate diets.