Chest
Volume 97, Issue 3, March 1990, Pages 595-599
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Clinical Investigations
Smell and Taste Function in Subjects with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Effect of Long-term Oxygen via Nasal Cannulas

https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.97.3.595Get rights and content

It was hypothesized that subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receiving long-term oxgen via nasal cannulas have an impaired sense of smell and/or taste. To objectively evaluate the sense of smell and taste, this study used the University of Pennsylvania Identification Test (UPSIT), a 40-item “scratch-n-sniff” test and a 20-item taste test using the four basic taste sensations of sweet, salt, sour, and bitter. Twenty subjects (15 male, 5 female) with severe COPD receiving long-term oxygen therapy (group 1), and an equal number of age- and sex-matched subjects with COPD not receiving oxygen therapy (group 2), and a healthy control group (group 3) were studied. Twelve subjects (seven male, five female) from group 1 subsequently underwent transtracheal oxygen catheter installation. Mean ± SD for the basic smell test was significantly greater in group 3 (35.35 ± 3.58) as compared with group 1 (27.70 ± 6.07) or group 2 (31.10 ± 4.95) (p<0.005). The difference between group 1 and 2 was not significant (p=0.066). However, when adjusted for pack years of smoking, there were no significant differences between the three groups. Mean ± SD correct responses for the basic taste test were significantly greater in group 3 (15.75 ± 1.81) as compared with group 2 (12.8 ± 2.78) (p<0.005) and group 1 (14.00 ± 2.33) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between group 1 and 2. The corrected data for taste, adjusted for years since quitting smoking, did not alter the basic differences between the groups. Mean smell and taste test scores were essentially unchanged in 12 subjects after six months of transtracheal oxygen therapy. Long-term oxygen use via nasal cannulas in this group of subjects with COPD did not appear to impair their sense of smell and taste. Smoking had a significant but variable effect on the sense of smell and taste.

Section snippets

Subject Selection Criteria

Twenty subjects with severe COPD receiving long-term oxygen therapy via nasal cannulas (group 1) and an equal number of age-and sex-matched subjects with COPD not receiving oxygen (group 2) were recruited. A healthy matched control group (group 3) was also enlisted.

All subjects with COPD were receiving various medications that included theophylline, inhaled and/or oral β-agonist, steroids, diuretics, and occasionally anti-inflammatory medications. There were four diabetics among the subjects

Smell Test

Sense of smell was evaluated using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test6 (UPSIT: commercially available as Smell Identification Test, Sensonics, Inc, Philadelphia). This test consists of four envelope-sized booklets containing ten odorants apiece, one odorant per page. The “scratch ‘n sniff” stimuli are embedded in 10- to 50-μm diameter microencapsulated crystals located on brown strips at the bottom of each page. A multiple choice question with four alternative answers is

Demographics

Demographics of the study subjects are shown in Table 1. Age and sex were equally matched in all three groups. Subjects with COPD who were receiving oxygen had more severe obstructive lung disease as compared with subjects with COPD who were not receiving oxygen. Of the 20 subjects with COPD receiving oxygen, 17 were receiving continuous oxygen and three received only nocturnal oxygen.

Smoking status was variable. Only eight subjects were current smokers, 19 were nonsmokers, and the remaining 33

DISCUSSION

The results of our study indicate that the use of long-term oxygen via nasal cannulas in this group of subjects with COPD did not impair their sense of smell or taste. Even though significant differences were noted in the basic smell and taste test scores in all subjects with COPD as compared with controls, there was no difference between subjects with COPD with oxygen and subjects with COPD without oxygen.

In subjects with COPD with oxygen (group 1), no differences were noted in the smell and

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are greatly indebted to Walt Jesteadt, Ph.D., for statistical analysis and Elaine Petersen for typing the manuscript.

REFERENCES (10)

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This work was partly supported by a grant from the Health Futures Foundation, Creighton University.

Manuscript received June 5; revision accepted August 21.

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