Gustatory perception of children with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Gustatory perception was studied in 10 children aged 8 to 15 suffering from medium-severe diabetes mellitus by the functional mobility method. Glycemia values and the level of mobilization of gustatory lingual papillae were high when the patients were admitted; the characteristic reverse proportinal relationship between these values, observed in healthy children, was absent. A course of therapy resulted in reduction of glycemia level, but the level of mobilization of gustatory papillae on an empty stomach was unchanged, the gastrolingual reflex did not recover. The detected dissociation between glycemia values and the level of mobilization of the gustatory receptor system may be an extra for the diagnosis of diabetes severity and treatment efficacy.