Can problems identifying common odors predict Alzheimer’s Disease?
July 5, 2007 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
For older adults, difficulty identifying common odors may indicate an increased risk of developing diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
An article recently published in the Archives of General Psychiatry documents a study by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago that looked at the correlation between smell and mental impairment. The study tested nearly 600 people ranging in age from 54 to 100 over a period of five years on their ability to identify 12 familiar odors (onion, lemon, cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, rose, banana, pineapple, soap, paint thinner, gasoline, and smoke)
The results:
“The people who made at least four errors on the odour test were 50 per cent more likely to develop problems than subjects who made no more than one error. Difficulty identifying odours also was associated with a higher risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s.”(reference)
Further reading and previous research:
Bad sense of smell may be first Alzheimer’s sign (2007)
Alzheimer’s Smell Test (2004)
Loss of Smell Linked to Key Protein in Alzheimer’s Disease (2004)
Odor Identification Test May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease (2000)
