{
  "abstract": "Chemosensory disturbances are increasingly recognised as relevant yet understudied features of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This systematic review synthesised psychophysical, semi-objective, and subjective evidence to characterise olfactory and gustatory function in individuals with IBD.A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligible studies assessed smell or taste function in Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis, or IBD-unclassified using validated psychophysical tools, semi-objective gustatory methods, or clearly defined subjective measures. Data extraction captured study design, chemosensory domains, assessment methods, and availability of numerical outcomes. The feasibility of conducting a meta-analysis was evaluated according to PRISMA-SWiM guidance.Seventeen studies published between 1976 and 2024 met the inclusion criteria. Psychophysical investigations consistently demonstrated reduced olfactory or gustatory performance in IBD compared with healthy controls. In the only study reporting complete extractable psychophysical taste data, IBD patients showed significantly lower Taste Strips scores (10.6±3.7; n=59) than controls (12.9±1.8; n=23). Additional psychophysical and semi-objective studies reported deficits across multiple taste qualities, most commonly involving sweet and bitter perception, as well as impairments in olfactory threshold, discrimination, and identification.Seven subjective or oral-medicine–based studies described high rates of taste alteration, often associated with active disease, mucosal inflammation, or xerostomia and reduced salivary flow. A semi-objective study demonstrated selective impairment in sour and bitter perception in Crohn’s disease. Historical investigations similarly indicated altered taste physiology with potential nutritional implications. A meta-analysis could not be performed due to the widespread absence of extractable numerical data for global olfactory and gustatory scores.Across diverse methodologies spanning nearly five decades, the evidence consistently indicates that IBD is associated with clinically meaningful impairment in smell and taste function, influenced by disease activity, oral and salivary conditions, and specific taste-quality vulnerabilities. Standardised psychophysical testing and improved quantitative reporting are needed to clarify the prevalence, mechanisms, and clinical impact of chemosensory dysfunction in IBD.Figure 1. Methodological profile and chemosensory findings across the 17 studies included in the systematic review. The heatmap uses a binary greyscale coding scheme. Black cells indicate the presence of a methodological feature or chemosensory finding, whereas white cells indicate the absence of that feature in the corresponding study.Abstract LBA12 Figure 1",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Gastroenterology, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS FT and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sandra Shibu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Gastroenterology, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS FT and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Valeria Dipasquale"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of ENT, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS FT and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Katherine Whitcroft"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of ENT, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS FT and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Eishaan Kamta Bhargava"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Gastroenterology, Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS FT and University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Akshay Kapoor"
    }
  ],
  "title": "LBA12 Chemosensory dysfunction in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review of olfactory and gustatory impairment",
  "uid": "f0643596-1cf4-5d00-ae5f-21851b24cc58"
}