A team of researchers at Michigan State University confirmed that a weak sense of smell may indicate an increased risk of pneumonia in the elderly, and loss of smell is one of the most common symptoms of the Corona virus, but over two decades, it has been linked to other diseases such as Parkinson's disease. And dementia, and this study has been published in the Lancet Healthy Longevity.
"About a quarter of those aged 65 or over have impaired smell," said Hongli Chen, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, adding that unlike impaired vision or hearing, this deficit has been neglected. Greatly sensual; Adding that more than two-thirds of people who suffer from a weak sense of smell do not know that they have it. "
In the first study of its kind, Chen and his team found a possible link between impaired sense of smell and an increased risk of developing pneumonia, and they analyzed 13 years of health data from 2,494 elderly people, ages 71 to 82, from urban areas in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And Memphis, Tennessee, where this study aimed to examine whether a poorer sense of smell in older adults was associated with an increased risk of developing pneumonia in the future.
Participants were given a brief odor identification test, using common scents such as lemon and benzene to determine whether their sense of smell was good, moderate, or weak. Then, the participants were monitored over the next 13 years using clinical examinations and follow-up phone calls. To determine hospitalization due to pneumonia.
The researchers found that, compared to participants who had a good sense of smell, participants with a reduced sense of smell were 50% more likely to be hospitalized with pneumonia at any time during the 13 years of follow-up.
The team said: "To our knowledge, this study provides the first epidemiological evidence that a poor sense of smell is associated with the risk of long-term pneumonia in the elderly."
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