Taste And Smell TEsting in End Stage Renal Disease

People with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk for malnutrition, which is associated with significantly increased mortality. Impairments in olfaction and taste are under-recognized and under-addressed symptoms that affect this population. Olfaction and taste influence appetite and nutritional status and represent a unique target for study and intervention. Small cross-sectional studies have shown a higher prevalence of olfactory (up to 56%) and taste disturbances (up to 35%) among patients with CKD compared with the general population, but little is known about longitudinal change in olfaction and taste in this population. Additionally, there is a lack of understanding about why these sensory disturbances more commonly occur in people with CKD, although there is speculation that uremia may contribute.

This information gained from this study will address these gaps in knowledge by studying longitudinal changes in olfaction and taste and their associations with concurrent and future nutritional and functional status. Additionally this study will attempt to identify potentially modifiable risk factors associated with olfactory and taste impairment.