Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is observed in 1-4% persons during rhinoscopy. While the occurrence of their problems is connected with smell sense, still not enough attention is paid to the malfunctioning of their taste sense.
Aim: The purpose of this study was estimation of taste sense functioning in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, treated with oral glucocorticosteroid.
Material and methods: The study included 82 persons. The 31 of them were patients of Otolaryngology Department of Warsaw Military Institute with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps' diagnosis, who were treated with systemic--oral glucocorticosteroid for three weeks. There were 51 healthy people as a control group. Both prior to the treatment and one month after it was finished, all patients had the taste examination. The taste functioning was examined with two methods: the gustometry by Bornstein and impulse bipolar electrogustometry method. Subjective nasal patency was noted based on analogical scale. The smell function was assessed with the Elsberg-Levy olfactometry in Pruszewicz's modification.
Results: Before treatment the taste disturbances were observed, depending on kind of taste, in 6-16 cases (19.4-51.6%) in gustometry and for 10 patients (32.26%) in electrogustometry. Before treatment the taste examination results in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps' cases were statistically significantly different than in the control group. After treatment with glucocorticosteroid the taste disturbances were observed, depending on kind of taste, in 0-9 cases (0-29%) in gustometry and for 4 patients (12.9%). in electrogustometry. Statistically, glucocorticosteroid therapy also decreased the smell threshold and was effective in restoration of the nose patency.
Conclusions: Statistically, therapy with glucocorticosteroid significantly improved both the taste and smell perception in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps