title: Olfactory impairment in an adult population: the Beaver Dam Offspring Study.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 610 Walnut Street, Room 1087 WARF, Madison, WI 53726-2336, USA. schubert@episense.wisc.edu
authors: Carla R
authors: CR
authors: Schubert
authors: Karen J
authors: KJ
authors: Cruickshanks
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Fischer
authors: Guan-Hua
authors: GH
authors: Huang
authors: Barbara E K
authors: BE
authors: Klein
authors: Ronald
authors: R
authors: Klein
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Pankow
authors: David M
authors: DM
authors: Nondahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000503:physiopathology; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055696:Olfactory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology