Table 1.
Characteristics of taste dysfunction in the two populations
| London (n = 23) | Padua (n = 24) | p value (within hospital) | p value (between hospitals) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | Padua | ||||
| Age, median (P25–P75) (year) | 39 (33–48) | 36 (27.5–44.5) | - | - | 0.16 |
| Sex, no (%) | |||||
| Female | 17 (73.9%) | 19 (79.2%) | - | - | 0.74 |
| Male | 6 (26.1%) | 5 (20.8%) | |||
| Ethnicity, no (%)a | |||||
| White | 12 (57.1%) | 24 (100%) | 0.02* | - | 0.002* |
| Asian | 7 (33.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||
| Black/African/Caribbean | 2 (9.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||
| Mixed/multiple ethnic groups | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||
| Missing | 2 | 0 | |||
| Smell dysfunction, no (%) | |||||
| Yes | 22 (95.7%) | 24 (100%) | - | - | 0.45 |
| No | 1 (4.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | |||
| Type of flavour affected, no (%) | |||||
| Sweet | 12 (52.2%) | 7 (29.2%) | 1b | 1b | 0.23 |
| Sour | 14 (60.9%) | 5 (20.8%) | 0.016* | ||
| Bitter | 15 (65.2%) | 3 (12.5%) | 0.001* | ||
| Salty | 11 (47.8%) | 4 (16.7%) | 0.06 | ||
| Water | 8 (34.8%) | 7 (29.2%) | 1 | ||
| Numbers of flavours affected, no (%)a | |||||
| None (only dysgeusia) | 4 (17.4%) | 14 (60.8%) | 0.88 | 0.001* | 0.065 |
| One | 2 (8.7%) | 2 (8.7%) | |||
| Two | 4 (17.4%) | 2 (8.7%) | |||
| Three | 5 (21.7%) | 1 (4.4%) | |||
| Four | 5 (21.7%) | 3 (13.0%) | |||
| All of them | 3 (13.1%) | 1 (4.4%) | |||
| Missing | 0 | 1 | |||
| Dysgeusia, no (%) | |||||
| Yes | 9 (39.1%) | 21 (91.3%) | - | - | 0.001* |
| No | 14 (60.9%) | 2 (8.7%) | |||
| Missing | 0 | 1 | |||
*Significant p values marked in italics. Level of significance p < 0.05
aValid percent, not including missing values
bThe same p value (p = 1) was obtained when comparing each couple of affected flavours, apart from the comparison between bitter and water (p = 0.77) in the London group