Olfactory Impairment in an Adult Population: The Beaver Dam Offspring Study

• Published in: Chemical senses Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 325 - 334
• Main Authors: Schubert, Carla R, Cruickshanks, Karen J, Fischer, Mary E, Huang, Guan-Hua, Klein, Barbara E. K, Klein, Ronald, Pankow, James S, Nondahl, David M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.05.2012
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Ankle Brachial Index; Biological and medical sciences; confidence interval; Cranial nerves. Spinal roots. Peripheral nerves. Autonomic nervous system. Gustation. Olfaction; Depression; Female; Flavor; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; household income; Humans; Income; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; men; mental depression; Middle Aged; middle-aged adults; Multivariate Analysis; Nasal Polyps - physiopathology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; odds ratio; odors; Olfaction Disorders - diagnosis; Olfaction Disorders - epidemiology; Olfaction Disorders - physiopathology; Olfaction. Taste; Olfactory discrimination; Olfactory Perception - physiology; Original; Perception; Polyps; polyps (pathological conditions); Prevalence; Progeny; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Quality of Life; Risk Factors; Septum; Smell - physiology; Smoking; United States - epidemiology; women; United States; Human; Nervous system diseases; Epidemiology; Quality of life; Dam; Progeny; smell disorders; Olfaction; Perception; Adult; Olfactory disorder; Neurological disorder; Public health
• ISSN: 0379-864X; 1464-3553
• DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjr102

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of olfactory impairment and associated risk factors and the effects of olfactory impairment on dietary choices and quality of life. Odor identification was measured in 2838 participants aged 21–84 years (mean 49 years) in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study. The overall prevalence of olfactory impairment was 3.8%, increased with age (from 0.6% in those <35 years to 13.9% among those ≥65 years) and was more common in men than women. In a multivariate model age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33, 1.64 for every 5-year increase), nasal polyps or deviated septum (OR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.62, 4.48), ankle-brachial index < 0.9 (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.45, 9.01), and smoking (women only) (OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.19, 4.98 ever smoked vs. never) were associated with an increased odds of olfactory impairment, whereas higher household income, ≥$50 000 versus <$50 000 per year, was associated with a decreased odds of olfactory impairment (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.31, 0.73). Participants with olfactory impairment were less likely to report that food tasted as good as it used to, or that they experienced food flavors the same. There was no association between olfactory impairment and general health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms, or dietary choices. The prevalence of olfactory impairment was low in this largely middle-aged cohort, and some factors associated with olfactory impairment are potentially modifiable.