Gustatory Function Of Elderly Women: Frequency Of Hypogeusia And Associated Factors

Objective: To identify the gustatory function of the four basic tastes of elderly women, frequency of hypogeusia and associated factors. Methodology: Cross-sectional study with elderly women from a coexistence group in southern Brazil. Sociodemographic variables, life habits and health were analyzed. In order to evaluate the gustatory function, filter-paper "taste strips" were soaked in solutions of four different concentrations of the sweet, salty, bitter and acidic flavors and the correct answers were evaluated, ranging from 0 to 16. Hypogeusia was characterized by the correct identification of up to eight right answers. Results: Sixty-four elderly women with a mean age of 69.8±7.3 years participated in the study. The mean of the total score in the gustatory evaluation was 11.9±2 hits and 14.1% of the evaluated women presented hypogeusia. Sweet and bitter flavors had higher mean values of right answers and acid (<0.001) and salty flavors (<0.001) had higher statistical differences in the group with and without hypogeusia. This condition was not statistically associated with sociodemographic data, style, quality of life and nutritional status. Conclusion: There was a low prevalence of hypogeusia in the sample and this condition was not statistically associated with the analyzed variables. The salty and acidic flavors were the ones that demonstrated the greatest differences for detection and adjustment between individuals with and without hypogeusia.