ALTERED SENSORY PERCEPTION: THE EFFECTS OF BARIATRIC SURGERY ON TASTE AND SMELL

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is the most effective as well as long-lasting treatment option for obesity. The general practice and some previous literature show that there are changes in taste and smell perception following such surgeries. Hence, this study was conducted to take into account this effect of bariatric surgery.

METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study conducted in Surgery Department of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore from January 2023, to December, 2024 for a period of one year. After taking the consents of patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, they were questioned regarding changes in taste and smell after the surgery. The data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. The continuous data was analyzed with the help of Student’s t-test while Pearson’s Chi-square was applied on nominal data. P value of <0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS: A total of one hundred and sixty-eight patients were evaluated. Almost twenty-eight percent of the patients who underwent the bariatric surgery had experienced changes in smell while twenty-four percent experienced changes in the taste perception. Almost forty-one percent patients agreed that they ate less because of the altered sensory perception. The things which caused most aversion were meat and perfumes.

CONCLUSION: There are changes in the sensory perception especially taste and smell after bariatric surgery. This also helps in maintenance of body weight after the initial weight loss.