Medical
use cases

Many medical areas to explore

Through our various researches and supported by the existing scientific literature, we have identified many cases of medical use on different diseases where the taste measurement could be a tool for prevention, diagnosis and monitoring of patients.

COVID

COVID

Orientation to diagnosis

In Europe, in mild to moderate forms of Covid-19 infection, a multicenter study identified 54% of patients with taste disturbances. (1)

The taste measurement in Covid patients would therefore allow:
○ Early identification of the first clinical signs of infection and referral for diagnosis
○ Accuracy of a taste disorder and referral to additional and more expensive tests to validate a COVID-19 diagnosis
○ Helps in the gradation of disease severity upon diagnosis.

Long COVID patient follow-up

20% of Covid-19 patients are affected by long COVID (a form of Covid with prolonged, fluctuating and multisystem symptoms). Among these patients, 30% present a taste loss. (2)

The taste measurement for long Covid patients would allow:
○ Patient follow-up
○ Monitoring the disease severity
○ Monitoring of disease progression and sensory symptoms according to taste and olfactory rehabilitation protocols.

1. Lechien J et al. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 1420 European patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019. The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine 2020; 288:335-44.
2. Salmon-Ceron D et al. Clinical, virological and imaging profile in patients with prolonged forms of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study. Journal of infection 2021;82:e1-4.
Diabetes
Diabetes

Diabetes

Early diagnosis of neuropathies

70% of insulin-dependent diabetics suffer from an altered taste, a sign of peripheral neuropathy. The onset of diabetic neuropathy is difficult to observe, yet it is very important to diagnose it to avoid complications such as diabetic foot. (1,2)

Measuring the taste of patients with diabetes seems to be one of the most useful specific symptoms to track. (3)

It could be a secondary diagnostic tool for the onset of neuropathy and the onset of diabetic foot, via facial nerve involvement, to aid in an earlier diagnosis.(4)

Monitoring the evolution of the diabetic foot

Around the world, a patient has a lower limb amputated due to diabetes every 30 seconds! (2)

The challenge for the diabetic foot is to limit the delay in management and the aggravation. (5)

It is therefore crucial that any practitioner is able to prevent and detect this complication early and manage it very precisely. (6)

Measuring patients' taste, as part of their regular monitoring, could be a tool for grading the severity stage of neuropathy and diabetic foot.

1. Gautier JF et al. Recommandations de l’ALFEDIAM : Neuropathie diabétique périphérique. Diabetes & Metabolism. 1997;23:335-42.
2. Boulton AJ et al. The global burden of diabetic foot disease. Lancet. 2005;366:1719-24.
3. Kuntzer T et al. Neuropathies diabétiques : tableaux cliniques, détection précoce et appel au spécialiste. Rev Med Suisse 2014;10:950-53.
4. Le Floch JP et al. Early detection of diabetic patients at risk of developing degenerative complications using electric gustometry: a five-year follow-up study. Eur J Med 1992;1:208-14.
5. Martini J et al. Le pied diabétique. MCED n°92. Janvier 2018.
6. Nicodeme JD et al. Pied diabétique infecté : du diagnostic à la prise en charge. Rev Med Suisse 2010;11:1238-41.
Tobacco
Tobacco

Tobacco

Prevention

A smoker has 6 times less taste sensitivity than a non-smoker. (1)

The taste measurement between smokers and non-smokers is an interesting and practical tool for awareness and prevention: by demonstrating that tobacco consumption alters essential daily functions. This measure could help encourage young people not to smoke.(1,2)

Help with smoking cessation

The patient who quits smoking may regain a better taste sensitivity after 2 weeks of quitting smoking. (2)

Our measuring device could therefore be
○ An objective tool for monitoring improvement in the event of a shutdown
○ An incentive tool and motivational support for smoking cessation.
○ With an effectiveness equivalent to the reimbursed nicotine patches (according to a comparison of the effectiveness of smoking cessation methods).

1. Cheruel F et al. Effect of cigarette smoke on gustatory sensitivity, evaluation of the deficit and of the recovery time-course after smoking cessation. Tobacco Induced Diseases. 2017;15:15.
2. Perriot J et al. Optimiser la prise en charge du sevrage tabagique. Alcoologie et Addictologie. 2005;27:201-09.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease

Diagnostic aid

The majority of people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease present with impaired general sensory acuity, a taste sensitivity due to nerve damage & damage to the nervous system. ( 1,2)

Taste loss is believed to occur in the very early stages of the disease, and could be identified at the early stage of the disease. (3,4,5)

Taste measurement could therefore be an interesting tool to aid in early diagnosis.

Monitoring the evolution of Alzheimer's disease

The more advanced the disease, the greater the impairment of taste perception. (4)

Taste sensitivity could be an interesting criterion for qualifying the stage of progression and for monitoring Alzheimer's disease.

The taste measurement could therefore be a tool to help measure the stage of the pathology to correlate with the evaluation of other biomarkers to better adjust treatments to the evolution of the pathology.

Supportive care adaptation

This impairment of taste can have repercussions in the daily life and loss of autonomy of patients: undernutrition, vulnerability to substances harmful to health ... (1)

Knowing the taste sensitivity of these patients would allow them to better adapt their daily environment and their diet.

1. Pouyet V et al. Perception, préférences et consommation alimentaires chez les personnes âgées atteintes de la maladie d'Alzheimer. ERES, Cliniques, Cairn info. 2013;6:217-32.
2. France Alzheimer. Troubles sensoriels Alzheimer et maladies apparentées.
3. Fondation Recherche alzheimer. https://alzheimer-recherche.org/la-maladie-alzheimer/quest-maladie-dalzheimer/definition-et-chiffres/. 13/03/2020.
4. Broglio E et al. Taste impairment in Alzheimer's disease. Revue Neurologique. 2001;157:409-13.
5. Sakai M et al. Gustatory Dysfunction as an early symptom of semantic dementia. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2017;7:395-405.
Oncology

Oncology

Early diagnosis of neuropathies

Cancer patients treated with chemotherapy often report changes in taste sensitivity associated with the development of neuropathies. (1,2)

Iatrogenic neuropathy detection leads to a modification of the therapeutic strategies which can have serious consequences. And these breaches are difficult to quantify. (3)

Better detection of these neuropathies by measuring taste could increase maximum compliance chances with chemotherapy, and thus improve the probability of response to oncological treatments and the quality of life of patients.

Supportive care adaptation

With a better understanding of the taste disorders of patients treated for cancer, supportive care could be adapted in a more personalized way to improve their quality of life.

1. AFSOS. Référentiels inter régionaux en Soins Ontologiques de Support. Neuropathie périphérique et cancer. 2012.
2. Hottinger AF et al. Complications neurologiques des traitements anti-cancéreux. Rev Med Suisse 2016;12:840-3.
3. Berteretche M et al. Decreased taste sensitivity in cancer patients under chemotherapy. Supportive Care Cancer. 2004;12:571-76.

Have you imagined any new use cases?

taste sensitivity may be an interesting constant to measure in many other therapeutic areas.

We are working with many experts to go further in the knowledge on the taste and the interest of its measurement in geriatrics (to diagnose certain diseases early, or to adapt the diet of the elderly), in behavioral disorders food (to understand the influence of taste loss on behavior), or even in HIV (as a tool for monitoring CD4 counts in parallel).

If you are interested in measuring the taste, do not hesitate to contact us to test our device!

New use cases

Which device to use to measure taste?

The taste measurement disorders seems interesting in many areas

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