Abstract
The aim of the study was to find out whether in a Czech population of the elderly over 60 years of age olfactory decline is associated with lower self-assessed quality of life and selected demographic variables, particularly age and education, and cognitive functions. 87 individuals (56 women), mean age (SD) 76.33 +- 8.02 (range 61 - 93) years participated in the study so far. The olfactory abilities of odor identification and discrimination were tested with the Sniffin' Sticks test.
Questions regarding self-assessed olfactory and gustatory sensitivity, phantosmia, parosmia, parageusia, heightened olfactory irritability, dietary habits and household accidents were administered. Cognitive abilities were assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tests.
Identification was positively correlated with education and MMSE and MoCA scores, Kendall's Tau-b = .23 - .29, p < .01, and negatively with age, Kendall's Tau-b = -.24, p < .01. Discrimination was only positively linked to MoCA scores, Kendall's Tau-b = .26, p < .01.
In everyday life, individuals who reported olfactory and gustatory dysfunction were more frequently worried about their body odor, Kendall's Tau-b = .22, p < .01. Individuals exhibiting lower identification scores reported more frequent household accidents, Kendall's Tau-b = -.25, p < .01.
These preliminary results show that in the elderly over 60 years of age sex differences seem to attenuate and, in line with previous studies, indicate a significant association between olfactory and cognitive functions. Also, they suggest a link between psychophysically tested olfactory decline and self-assessed quality of life.