Effect of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications on the sense of taste

Elderly individuals and HIV-infected patients have a disproportionate numbe r of taste complaints relative to the general population, and these taste a lterations are correlated with the use of medications. Clinical reports of taste disorders have been associated with many drugs, including antimicrobi al and anti-inflammatory medications. The purpose of this study was to quan tify the taste effects of 6 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) a nd 13 antimicrobial drugs. The six NSAIDS were: diclofenac sodium salt, fen oprofen calcium salt, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, nabumetone, and sulindac. The 13 antimicrobials were: acyclovir, ampicillin. atovaquone, dapsone, enoxaci n, ethambutol, lomefloxacin KCl, ofloxacin, pentamidine isethionate, pyrime thamine, sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline HCl, and trimethuprim. These 19 med ications were applied topically to the tongues of unmedicated young and eld erly volunteers as well as unmedicated HIV-infected patients to measure the direct effect of the drug on taste receptors. Topical application of drugs to the apical tongue surface was used to mimic the situation in which the drug is secreted into the saliva. The main finding was that the taste quali ties of these drugs were perceived as predominantly bitter, metallic, and/o r sour, although several did not have a taste. Elderly subjects had higher thresholds than young subjects for one-third of the drugs that were tested. Thresholds for HIV-infected patients were statistically equivalent to youn g controls; however, HIV-infected patients rated the: drugs as more intense at four times above the detection threshold than young subjects. Most of t hese drugs when applied directly to the tongue also modified thr: taste int ensity of other tastants (e.g., NaCl, citric acid). (C) 2000 Elsevier Scien ce Inc. All rights reserved.