OBJETIVO: avaliar a percepção dos sabores amargo, azedo, doce e neutro.
MÉTODO: foram estudados 36 pacientes com Acidente Vascular Encefálico (AVE) (5 hemorrágicos e 31 isquêmicos) e 30 sujeitos controles. Foi realizada avaliação fonoaudiológica estrutural e funcional incluindo postura, vedamento labial, presença de resÃduos, tosse, engasgo, e ausculta cervical. Cada sujeito deglutiu em sequência aleatória 5 mL de lÃquido com os 4 sabores [chá de boldo (amargo), suco de limão diluÃdo (azedo), sacarose diluÃda (doce) e água (neutro)] na temperatura ambiente. Entre as deglutições os participantes eram questionados sobre a dificuldade em deglutir e qual o sabor do lÃquido daquela deglutição.
RESULTADOS: entre os pacientes houve maior freqüência de erros na identificação dos sabores amargo (controles: 16,7%, AVE: 47,3%, p=0,01) e azedo (controles: 6,7%, AVE: 27,8%, p=0,05), sem diferenças para o sabores neutro (controles: 10,0%, AVE: 16,7%, p=0,50) e doce (controles: 13,3%, AVE: 16,7%, p=0,80). Os pacientes com AVE tiveram maior dificuldade para deglutir os lÃquidos do que os controles (p<0,04).
CONCLUSÃO: houve maior dificuldade na percepção dos sabores amargo e azedo no grupo com AVE do que nos controles.
PURPOSE: to assess the perception of bitter, sour, sweet and neutral flavors in stroke patients.
METHOD: we studied 36 patients with stroke (5 hemorrhagic and 31 ischemic) and had a 30 subjects' control group. W performed a structural and functional oral and pharyngeal evaluation including posture, lip sealing, presence of residues, cough, choking, and cervical auscultation. Five ml of fluids with the 4 flavors ["boldus" tea (bitter), diluted lemon juice (sour), diluted sucrose (sweet), and water (neutral)] were offered in random sequence under room temperature. Participants were questioned, between swallows, on the difficulty in swallowing and which flavor they had just swallowed.
RESULTS: patients with stroke had greater difficulty in swallowing the fluids than control group (p<0.04). Patients made more mistakes in identifying bitter (control: 16.7%, stroke: 47.3%, p=0.01) and sour (control: 6.7%, stroke: 27.8%, p=0.05) flavors, without differences in the identification of neutral (control: 10.0%, stroke: 167%, p=0.50) and sweet (control: 13.3%, stroke: 16.7%, p=0,80).
CONCLUSION: the group with stroke had more difficulty in perceiving bitter and sour flavors than the control group subjects.