Sense of smell and senile dementia

Loss of sense of smell predicted the development of dementia

Elizaveta Ivtushok, N+1

Olfactory dysfunction can serve as one of the symptoms of dementia. This was found out by American scientists who conducted a test for the ability to recognize odors among the elderly. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (Adams et al., Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts Underlying Dementia in Older U.S. Adults).

Dementia, acquired dementia, is characterized by a number of symptoms, including memory disorders and decreased cognitive activity. Recent work shows that a violation of the sense of smell, namely the loss of the ability to distinguish everyday odors, is one of the symptoms of the risk of dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

Until now, however, the relationship between the loss of sense of smell in old age and the subsequent occurrence of dementia has not been precisely established. The authors of the new work presented a study of the risk of acquired dementia in elderly people experiencing problems with the sense of smell.

In the course of the study, scientists conducted a test for the ability to recognize odors among 2,906 elderly (aged 57 to 85 years) people. To do this, they used five incense sticks from a special set: each stick contained an easily recognizable everyday smell. The test was considered successful if the participant was able to recognize four or five odors; otherwise, the result indicated the presence of olfactory dysfunction. As a result, 22 percent of the participants could not identify more than three smells, despite the fact that none of them had documented mental abnormalities. Five years later, scientists collected data on the development of dementia among the participants of the experiment, as well as on their gender, race, education and the presence of mental and chronic diseases of a different spectrum at the time of the experiment. All additional data were taken into account in the analysis.

Within five years of the olfactory test, 4.1 percent of all participants developed dementia. The results of the data analysis showed that olfactory dysfunction detected during the test was associated with the occurrence of dementia in 47 percent of cases. Among participants with normal mental health, 79 percent successfully passed the olfactory test.

The new work indicates a link between olfactory dysfunction in old age and the risk of dementia in the future. The scientists' finding may also help in the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. The authors insist that such a test does not take much time and material resources and can help determine the need for preventive treatment.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  02.10.2017