Abstracts - Association for Chemoreception Sciences

P O S T E R S
#P250 POSTER SESSION V:
CENTRAL OLFACTION; CHEMOSENSORY
PSYCHOPHYSICS & CLINICAL STUDIES
Gender and Burning Mouth Syndrome
Svetlana Yakov 1 , Yuri L. Yakov 1 , Alan R. Hirsch 1 , Sally Freels 2
1
Smell &Taste Treatment and Research Foundation Chicago, IL,
USA, 2 University of Illinois, School of Public Health Chicago,
IL, USA
Objective: To determine if burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in
men is similar in presentation to that in women. Background:
BMS affects over one million Americans with overwhelming
female predominance. BMS characteristics in men have not been
specifically elucidated. Methods/Results: Retrospective chart
review of the most recent 22 BMS patients (7 men and 15 women)
were compared with statistical analysis using chi-square tests for
binary variables and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous
variables. The results from Using Bonforoni corrections, no
significant difference was found in the following parameters
including gender (male, female): age (59 and 54 years); duration of
disease (2 and 3 years); severity of burning on a scale of 1 to 10 (6;
7), presence of complaints of hypogeusia (57%; 67%), dysgeusia
(71%; 47%), dry mouth (57%, 20%), changes in taste perception
of salt (43%; 50%); sweet (29%; 43%), sour (29%; 50%), bitter
(29%; 57%) and presence of complaints of hyposmia or anosmia
(43%; 60%), dysosmia (0%; 33%), and phantosmia (0%; 20%).
On examination, all patients had normal Romberg testing and
vibratory sensation, corrected for age based on Rydel Seiffer
Tuning Fork. Olfactory tests including the unilateral University
of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test corrected for sex and
age, the unilateral Smell Threshold Test using phenyl ethyl
alcohol, Quick Smell Identification Test, the Pocket Smell Test,
the Brief Smell Identification Test corrected for age, and Alcohol
Suprathreshold Testing revealed abnormal olfactory tests
bilaterally in at least one test in 100% of males and 87% of
females. Taste testing including the Accusens T Taste Test and
Taste Quadrant Testing revealed abnormalities (at least in one test)
in 100% of males and 90% of females. Significant differences
(p