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Drug-Induced Taste and Smell Alterations

A Case/Non-Case Evaluation of an Italian Database of Spontaneous Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting

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Abstract

Background: The frequency and clinical features of drug-related taste and/or smell impairments are currently unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify major drug classes associated with taste and smell alterations reported to the Italian spontaneous adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting database.

Methods: The association between drug and altered taste or smell was investigated by case/non-case methodology. The reporting odds ratio (ROR) was used as a measure of disproportionality. Cases were defined as patients with at least one ADR related to taste or smell impairments. The non-cases included all patients without any ADRs related to taste or smell alterations.

Results: According to the selection criteria, 52 166 reports were included in the analysis. Overall, 182 cases of drug-related taste and/or smell dysfunctions were identified. Statistically significant unadjusted RORs were reported for macrolides (n = 31; 7.1; 95% CI 4.8, 10.5), terbinafine (the only drug reported within the group of antimycotics belonging to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical class D01AE) [n=17; 76.4; 95% CI 44.0, 132.6], fluoroquinolones (n= 15; 1.7; 95% CI 1.0, 2.8) and protein kinase inhibitors (n= 10; 4.0; 95% CI 2.1, 7.7). When RORs were adjusted for sex and age category, the disproportion remained statistically significant for all of the previously mentioned drug classes.

Conclusions: Taste and/or smell abnormalities are common, sometimes unexpected and often persistent complaints of patients during pharmacological treatments. Physicians should be aware of the impact of these ADRs on patients’ quality of life.

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Acknowledgements

The present research was funded by the Servizio Sanitario Regionale Toscano. The funding organization had no role either in the conduct of the present study or in the writing of the present manuscript. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tuscan Regional Centre for Pharmacovigilance, Unit of Pharmacology, University Hospital of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Tuccori PhD & Giulio Giustarini

  2. Tuscan Regional Centre of Pharmacovigilance, Florence, Italy

    Marco Tuccori PhD, Francesco Lapi, Arianna Testi, Elisa Ruggiero, Ugo Moretti, Roberto Bonaiuti & Luca Antonioli

  3. Department of Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Lapi, Roberto Bonaiuti & Luca Antonioli

  4. Epidemiology Unit, Regional Agency for Healthcare Services of Tuscany, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Lapi

  5. Pharmaceutical Unit, Health District of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Arianna Testi & Tiberio Corona

  6. Pharmaceutical Unit, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Elisa Ruggiero & Ugo Moretti

  7. Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Alfredo Vannacci

  8. Interdepartmental Centre for Research in Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Matteo Fornai & Carla Scollo

  9. Italian Drug Agency, Rome, Italy

    Fernanda Ferrazin & Laura Sottosanti

  10. Division of Pharmacology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

    Corrado Blandizzi

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  1. Marco Tuccori PhD
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Correspondence to Marco Tuccori PhD.

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Tuccori, M., Lapi, F., Testi, A. et al. Drug-Induced Taste and Smell Alterations. Drug-Safety 34, 849–859 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2165/11593120-000000000-00000

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