Study the relationship between blood pressure, sensitivity to taste PTC and table salt among pregnant women

Abstract

The current study was conducted to find the variation in blood pressure, sensitivity of tasting PTC and table salt between a sample of pregnant and non-pregnant women (150 individuals each). A stepwise dilution method (13 concentrations) was used to measure the taste sensitivity of PTC, while three gradient concentrations were used to measure the sensitivity of taste of table salt (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2%). The study found an increase in PTC taste sensitivity among pregnant women, as the critical threshold for taste reached 8 compared to non-pregnant women, which reached 6. With regard to the taste of table salt, it was noted that there was a lack of sensitivity to its taste among pregnant women. As it was noticed that the critical limit for salt taste increased, which reached a concentration of (2%) in the first and second periods. The percentage among pregnant women reached (40%) while returning to the normal state (salt concentration 0.5) in the third and last period compared to non-pregnant women. As for pressure, fluctuation was observed during pregnancy in general and in the first period of pregnancy in particular. The level of decline increased exponentially with the increase in the period of pregnancy. The percentage of pregnant women with high systolic pressure only was 20%, more than non-pregnant women (10%). In general, the percentage of decline among pregnant women in diastolic and systolic pressure together was 54% compared with 36% of non-pregnant women.