Can Poor Sense of Smell Signal Serious Condition ?

Poor sense of smell a neglected sensory deficit unlike vision or hearing impairment, is now one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19.

A team of Michigan State University researchers analysed 13 years of health data from 2,494 older adults, ages 71-82, from metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Memphis, Tennessee published in the journal The Lancet Healthy Longevity .

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‘Attention to poor sense of smell can avert Pneumonia risk.’

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"About a quarter of adults 65 years or older have a poor sense of smell," said Honglei Chen, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics within MSU's College of Human Medicine.

The study participants were given a Brief Smell Identification Test, or B-SIT, using common smells to determine their sense of smell. Then, the participants were monitored for the next 13 years using clinical exams and follow-up phone calls to identify hospitalization due to pneumonia.

The study reveals the association between poor sense of smell and a higher risk of pneumonia hospitalization with 40 per cent higher among participants (with a poor sense of smell) who never had had pneumonia before and bout 50 per cent participants more likely to be hospitalised with pneumonia at any time point during the 13-year follow-up.

Phantosmia (Phantom Smell) - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Phantosmia is a rare disorder that causes one to perceive nonexistent unpleasant odors, mainly smoky smells. It is caused by age, infectious diseases, mental health issues, brain tumors, among others.

"This is just an example how little we know about this common sensory deficit," Chen said.

This epidemiological study gives insight to the vast health implication of poor sense of smell beyond Parkinson's disease and dementia.

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Smell and taste disorders are common chemosensory disorders that are capable of affecting an individual’s quality of life.

Source-Eurekalert

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