Researchers did this study to characterize the association between quantitative OD and gustatory dysfunction and depression in older adults.
The NHANES data for the years 2013–2014 was used to investigate the relationship between smell and taste dysfunction and depression. Participants needed to be of age sixty-five years and older to be included in the analysis. For smell status, subjects were divided into hyposmia, anosmia, and OD using the Pocket Smell Test. Indicator variables were made for residents with both smell and taste dysfunction to determine whether a combination of symptoms could predict depression. Depression status was evaluated by the 9-item PHQ using accepted cutoff values.
Researchers included a total of Nine hundred and thirty-one subjects in the weighted analysis. Anosmia significantly predicted depressive symptoms in the multivariate analysis but not univariate. In univariate analysis, hyposmia + anosmia and hyposmia significantly predicted depression. Significance was lost in multivariate analysis.
The study concluded that smell dysfunction is an independent predictor of depressive symptoms in a representative sample of older adults in the United States after adjusting for relevant demographic factors and comorbidities.
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1945892419897217
