OD is common, affecting millions of adults in the United States. Prior studies may underestimate OD prevalence due to the use of brief smell identification tests or age-adjusted cutoff values, which concede that it is acceptable for older people to have a decreased sense of smell.
This study was done to determine OD prevalence in the healthy community when the goal and expectation is an ideal olfactory function, rather than age-based population norms. Secondary goals were to explore factors associated with OD.
Subjects without otolaryngic complaints were recruited. Olfactory-specific information was collected, and olfactory function was assessed using the Sniffin’ Sticks test to measure TDI.
176 subjects were included in the study. The mean TDI score was 28.8 (6.9) and OD was present in 94 subjects. Multivariate linear regression revealed that TDI decreased an average of 1 point every 5 years. TDI was also associated with the MMSE score, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The study concluded through its findings obtained from a community-based sample that OD effects greater than half of the subjects. Aging impacts all aspects of olfaction.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892420922771
