Abstract
Deterioration of olfaction is a common phenomenon observed in the senior population. A number of factors may cause this deficit including infections, aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the self-report as a measure of olfactory function in seniors. A total of 93 community-dwelling participants (43 men and 50 women) from the Quebec NuAge cohort on Nutrition and Successful Aging participated in the Olfactory Response and Cognition in Aging (ORCA) study. The age range was 80-95 years and all subjects had a telephone mini mental state examination (t-MMSE) score > 18. Individuals were interviewed using a self-report ('do you suffer from smell problems?') and quantitative (University of Pennsylvania Smelling Identification Test (UPSIT)) olfactory tests. Based on the self-report, 81% of the participants claimed to have a normal sense of olfaction. However, based on the UPSIT, 95% of them showed different forms of microsmia. These results reveal that most senior citizens are unaware of their olfactory dysfunction and indicate that an self-report questionnaire is not a valid instrument to assess olfactory function in the aging population.
Highlights
From a phylogenetic perspective, olfaction is deemed one of the oldest sensory systems in mammals [1]
Based on the University of Pennsylvania smell Identification Test (UPSIT), 95% of them showed different forms of microsmia. These results reveal that most senior citizens are unaware of their olfactory dysfunction and indicate that an self-report questionnaire is not a valid instrument to assess olfactory function in the aging population
For the Olfactory Response and Cognition in Aging (ORCA) study, initial calls were made to the previous NuAge participants asking if they would consider to be involved in other studies and/or the ORCA sub-study
Summary
Olfaction is deemed one of the oldest sensory systems in mammals [1]. Often taken for granted, the sense of smell is of crucial importance. Olfaction may appear to have less importance in identifying objects or people compared to vision, this sense plays a crucial social and emotional role which affects an individual’s tastes and food preferences daily [2]. Olfaction represents a strong asset when it comes to detecting danger through odours such as gas leaks and/or other toxic fumes, smoke and rotting food. Strong evidence indicates that olfactory dysfunction occurs with aging [3]. From this perspective, olfactory dysfunction is a major public health concern and measures need to be put in place to alleviate these dangers
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