Gustatory lacrimation

What it means

Gustatory lacrimation results from an aberrant innervation of fibers from the seventh cranial nerve to the pterygopalatine ganglion which are destined originally for the submandibular ganglion. This aberrant innervation leads to uncontrollable tearing while eating or in anticipation of a meal.

The aberrant innervation leading to this phenomenon may be seen for example as a hereditary trait in some patients with Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome in which case it may occur unilateral or bilateral, but it may also result from a secondary aberrant reinnervation following a peripheral facial palsy, in which case it is associated with uncontrollable ipsilateral tearing. In the past gustatory lacrimation was considered to be a very rare non-hereditary type of anomalous, cranial nerve-end organ innervation but rare occurrences in patients with Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome have shown, that this feature may also appear as a hereditary condition.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category