Are Patients Who Lose Sense of Smell at Risk for Parkinson Disease?

Analysis of a diverse cohort over almost a decade provides further evidence of an association, but primarily in white men.

The idea that the loss of smell could predict later diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD) is an interesting premise, especially given the relatively recent identification of olfactory dysfunction as a possible premotor PD symptom. To examine the association between olfactory dysfunction and PD in a more diverse population, researchers used prospectively collected data from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. The authors focused on 1510 white participants and 952 black participants (mean baseline age, 76). The Brief Smell Identification Test (BSIT) was applied as an objective measure of olfaction.

There were 42 incident PD cases (30 white people, 12 black people) who were followed to a mean of 9.8 years. Lower (worse) BSIT score was …

Reviewing Author

Michael S. Okun, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America

Speaker’s BureauMedscape/WebMD CME, Movement Disorders Society CME, American Academy of Neurology CME

RoyaltiesBooks4Patients; Demos; Cambridge; Taylor and Francis; Robert Rose; Public Affairs

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health; Parkinson’s Foundation; Tourette Association of America; University of Florida Foundation

Editorial BoardsTremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements; JAMA Neurology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesParkinson’s Foundation (Medical Advisor)