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Comparative Study
. 2020 Jun 25;12(6):420.
doi: 10.3390/toxins12060420.

Gustatory Function and the Uremic Toxin, Phosphate, Are Modulators of the Risk of Vascular Calcification among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Pilot Study

Shih-I Chen  1   2 , Chin-Ling Chiang  3 , Chia-Ter Chao  1   2   4 , Chih-Kang Chiang  4   5 , Jenq-Wen Huang  6
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Gustatory Function and the Uremic Toxin, Phosphate, Are Modulators of the Risk of Vascular Calcification among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Pilot Study

Shih-I Chen et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of vascular calcification (VC), including aortic arch calcification (AAC). Few investigated the influence of gustatory function on the probability of having VC. We examined whether gustatory function results modulated the probability of having VC in patients with CKD. We prospectively enrolled adults with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2), with their AAC rated semi-quantitatively and gustatory function assessed by objective and subjective approaches. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between gustatory function results and AAC. Those with AAC had significantly better objective gustatory function in aggregate scores (p = 0.039) and categories (p = 0.022) and less defective bitter taste (p = 0.045) and scores (p = 0.037) than those without. Multiple regression analyses showed that higher aggregate scores (odds ratio (OR) 1.288, p = 0.032), or better gustatory function, and higher bitter taste scores (OR 2.558, p = 0.019) were each associated with a higher probability of having AAC among CKD patients; such an association was modulated by serum phosphate levels. In conclusion, better gustatory function was independently correlated with having AAC among CKD patients. A follow-up of VC severity may be an underrecognized component of care for CKD patients with a preserved gustatory function.

Keywords: aortic calcification; chronic kidney disease; gustation; nutrition; taste dysfunction; vascular calcification.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or nonfinancial competing interests to declare in relation to this manuscript.

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