Olfactory dysfunction in familial parkinsonism

Neurology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1262-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Markopoulou ◽  
K. W. Larsen ◽  
E. K. Wszolek ◽  
M. A. Denson ◽  
A. E. Lang ◽  
...  

Impaired olfactory function is commonly observed in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). However, it is unknown whether it is also found in familial parkinsonism. To address this issue we administered a smell test to 12 affected, three monosymptomatic, and 12 at-risk individuals from six large parkinsonian kindreds. Three kindreds exhibited an IPD phenotype and three exhibited a parkinsonism-plus syndrome (PPS) phenotype. All but one of the affected individuals had impaired olfactory function. In contrast, only five of the 12 at-risk individuals had impaired olfactory function. The degree of olfactory impairment in the at-risk individuals was less severe than in the affected individuals. The difference in the degree of olfactory impairment in individuals exhibiting the IPD and the PPS phenotypes was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that olfactory dysfunction is a phenotypic characteristic of familial parkinsonism and that it is independent of the kindred phenotype. The appearance of olfactory dysfunction soon after disease onset raises the possibility that it is part of the neurodegenerative disease process.

Author(s):  
Amir Yarahmadi ◽  
Kamran Kamrava ◽  
Ali Shafee ◽  
Maryam Milanifard ◽  
Mohammad Aghajanpour ◽  
...  

Introduction: All surgical procedures on nose affect the olfactory function to some extent. There are different viewpoints about olfactory function after septorhinoplasty. We aim to investigate smell perception changes in patients following septorhinoplasty. In this study the use of Rapid Smell Test (RST) as a fast and reliable clinical tool was investigated. Methods: A prospective cohort study was done in Rasool Akram teaching hospital in 2018 and 2019. Group of 74 septorhinoplasty candidates aged over 18 was selected by convenience. Persian Smell Identification Test (PSIT) and rapid smell test (RST) was obtained from patients before surgery and one month after, if needed three months after and six months after. In addition for patients with dysfunction in any of follow up periods (one month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery) smell magnitude test (SMT) was used. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 24.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Out of 74 patients participating in this study 67 were female. Mean age of 25.68±5.18 years was recorded for participants. All patients before surgery had PSIT score more than 19 and the mean PSIT score before operation was 22.63±1.39. Also all patients scored 5 out of 5 in RST before surgery. Mean PSIT score one month after surgery decreased to 22.21±2.20 but still 93 percent (69 patients) of participants were in range for normal olfactory function. We recorded this to be significant (p value = 0.044). RST after one month showed the same results. The difference between RST before and after surgery was also significant (p value = 0.024). For those 5 patients with abnormal olfactory function PSIT and RST were done 3 months after operation which determines normal olfactory function for all of them. As well as PSIT, RST also shows the same results and five participants recorded 5 out of 5 three months after surgery. Conclusion: This study showed changes in olfactory function after septorhinoplasty will resolve at most 3 months after surgery and it is safe to say there is no effect on olfactory function three months after operation. Also we demonstrated that RST can be a fast and reliable tool for assessing patients’ olfactory function in clinical setting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerold Besser ◽  
Brigitte Erlacher ◽  
Kadriye Aydinkoc-Tuzcu ◽  
David T. Liu ◽  
Eleonore Pablik ◽  
...  

Odor (including flavor) perception plays a major role in dietary behavior. Orthonasal olfactory function (OOF) has been shown to decrease in obese subjects. Changes in retronasal olfactory function (ROF) after weight loss and in the individual significance of olfaction (ISO) in obesity are yet to be investigated. Firstly, 15 obese subjects were recruited in a pilot study and supported to conventionally lose weight. OOF (Sniffin’ Sticks) was measured at the beginning and after 5.6 ± 1.3 months. Eleven subjects re-visited but barely lost weight and no major changes in OOF were observed. Secondly, the body-mass-index (BMI), OOF, and ROF (Candy Smell Test, CST) were recorded in subjectively olfactory-healthy subjects (SOHSs) and additionally the ISO questionnaire was collected in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD). BMI correlated significantly negatively with odor discrimination (p = 0.00004) in 74 SOHSs and negatively with CST (p < 0.0001) in 66 SOHSs. In 48 SOHSs, there was a gender difference in ISO scores (p = 0.034), but no significant correlation with BMI was found (p > 0.05). ISO scores were significantly higher in 52 OD patients in comparison to SOHSs (p = 0.0382). Not only OOF but also ROF may decline with higher BMI. ISO does not seem to alter with BMI, but olfaction becomes more important once it is consciously impaired.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 407-414
Author(s):  
Eli P Darnell ◽  
Kristen E Wroblewski ◽  
Kristina L Pagel ◽  
David W Kern ◽  
Martha K McClintock ◽  
...  

Abstract Inflammation has been implicated in physical frailty, but its role in sensory impairment is unclear. Given that olfactory impairment predicts dementia and mortality, determining the role of the immune system in olfactory dysfunction would provide insights mechanisms of neurosensory decline. We analyzed data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, a representative sample of home-dwelling older US adults. Plasma levels of 18 cytokines were measured using standard protocols (Luminex xMAP). Olfactory function was assessed with validated tools (n-butanol sensitivity and odor identification, each via Sniffin’ Sticks). We tested the association between cytokine profiles and olfactory function using multivariate ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education level, cognitive function, smoking status, and comorbidity. Older adults with the IL-1Rahigh-IL-4low-IL-13low cytokine profile had worse n-butanol odor sensitivity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19–2.17) and worse odor identification (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.11–1.80). Proinflammatory, Th1, or Th2 cytokine profiles were not associated with olfactory function. Moreover, accounting for physical frailty did not alter the main findings. In conclusion, we identified a plasma cytokine signature—IL-1Rahigh-IL-4low-IL-13low—that is associated with olfactory dysfunction in older US adults. These data implicate systemic inflammation in age-related olfactory dysfunction and support a role for immune mechanisms in this process, a concept that warrants additional scrutiny.


Author(s):  
Hans Jacob Nørgaard ◽  
Alexander Wieck Fjaeldstad

Abstract Introduction Subjective chemosensory function can differ from measured function. Previous studies on olfactory assessment have found a positive correlation between subjective and measured scores. However, information on gustatory correlation between measured and subjective functions is sparse in patients who have undergone an initial ear, nose and throat (ENT) evaluation. Objectives To evaluate the correlation between subjective and measured olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in a population complaining of taste and/or smell dysfunction after an initial ENT evaluation without chemosensory testing. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the need for chemosensory testing depending on the type of subjective chemosensory dysfunction. Methods A case series in which subjective chemosensory function was assessed through a questionnaire and measured chemosensory function was assessed by validated clinical tests. Results In total, 602 patients with complaints of olfactory and/or gustatory dysfunction were included. We found that 50% of the patients with normal gustatory function and an olfactory impairment classified their olfactory impairment as a subjective taste disorder. Furthermore, 98% of the patients who rated their olfactory function as absent did have a measurable olfactory impairment, but only 64% were anosmic. Conclusion Subjective gustatory dysfunction was poorly correlated with measured gustatory dysfunction, and was often found to reflect olfactory dysfunction. Contrarily, subjective olfactory dysfunction was positively correlated with measurable olfactory dysfunction. Although subjective anosmia was a strong indicator of measured anosmia or hyposmia, the existence of remaining olfactory function was frequently found in these patients. Validated chemosensory testing should be performed in patients with perceived olfactory or gustatory deficits, as this could help ensure increased diagnostic precision and a relevant treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara A. Guzmán-Ruiz ◽  
Amor Herrera-González ◽  
Adriana Jiménez ◽  
Alan Candelas-Juárez ◽  
Crystal Quiroga-Lozano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive impairment that eventually develops into dementia. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation is a widely described hallmark in AD, and has been reported to cause olfactory dysfunction, a condition considered an early marker of the disease associated with injuries in the olfactory bulb (OB), the hippocampus (HIPP) and other odor-related cortexes. Adiponectin (APN) is an adipokine with neuroprotective effects. Studies have demonstrated that APN administration decreases Aβ neurotoxicity and Tau hyperphosphorylation in the HIPP, reducing cognitive impairment. However, there are no studies regarding the neuroprotective effects of APN in the olfactory dysfunction observed in the Aβ rat model. The aim of the present study is to determine whether the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v) administration of APN prevents the early olfactory dysfunction in an i.c.v Amyloid-beta1–42 (Aβ1–42) rat model. Hence, we evaluated olfactory function by using a battery of olfactory tests aimed to assess olfactory memory, discrimination and detection in the Aβ rat model treated with APN. In addition, we determined the number of cells expressing the neuronal nuclei (NeuN), as well as the number of microglial cells by using the ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1) marker in the OB and, CA1, CA3, hilus and dentate gyrus (DG) in the HIPP. Finally, we determined Arginase-1 expression in both nuclei through Western blot. Results We observed that the i.c.v injection of Aβ decreased olfactory function, which was prevented by the i.c.v administration of APN. In accordance with the olfactory impairment observed in i.c.v Aβ-treated rats, we observed a decrease in NeuN expressing cells in the glomerular layer of the OB, which was also prevented with the i.c.v APN. Furthermore, we observed an increase of Iba-1 cells in CA1, and DG in the HIPP of the Aβ rats, which was prevented by the APN treatment. Conclusion The present study describes the olfactory impairment of Aβ treated rats and evidences the protective role that APN plays in the brain, by preventing the olfactory impairment induced by Aβ1–42. These results may lead to APN-based pharmacological therapies aimed to ameliorate AD neurotoxic effects.


ORL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Sotiria Genetzaki ◽  
Evangelia Tsakiropoulou ◽  
Vasilios Nikolaidis ◽  
Konstantinos Markou ◽  
Iordanis Konstantinidis

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> There are limited treatment options for postinfectious olfactory dysfunction (PIOD). Olfactory training has recently been used in clinical practice, but no medical treatment is widely accepted. Although there is weak evidence for their value, some physicians use oral corticosteroids as first-line treatment. The aim of this study was to compare combined oral methylprednisolone and olfactory training with olfactory training alone in the management of PIOD. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This prospective cohort study included 131 patients with PIOD over a 2-year period before the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-eight patients who were treated with oral methylprednisolone and olfactory training (group A) were compared with 53 patients who were treated with olfactory training only (group B). Olfactory function was evaluated with “Sniffin’ Sticks” at baseline and 2, 8, and 16 weeks after initial assessment. Patients who improved after steroid treatment underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the paranasal sinuses, skin prick tests, lung spirometry, and sputum eosinophil assessment. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Oral steroids improved 19.23% of patients (<i>n</i> = 15) of group A. History, clinical evaluation, imaging, and laboratory tests identified an inflammatory background in half of them (<i>n</i> = 8). The remaining 7 had no findings of nasal inflammation, and all had a short history of olfactory dysfunction. Both groups significantly improved in olfactory testing results at the end of the olfactory training scheme without significant difference between them. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The percentage of improved patients after oral methylprednisolone was relatively low to suggest it as first-line treatment. Half of the improved patients had an underlying upper airway inflammatory condition not related to the infection that caused the acute loss of olfactory function.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-172
Author(s):  
Israel Saramago ◽  
Ana M. Franceschi

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
L. Zou ◽  
A. Haehner ◽  
S. Menzel ◽  
N. Gunder ◽  
T. Hummel

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the brief version of Questionnaire of Olfactory Disorders (brief QOD). Methods: A total of 372 patients participated in this study. Olfactory function was examined using the Sniffin’ Sticks test. The brief version of QOD, including 4 items concerning parosmia (QOD-P), 7 items concerning quality of life (QOD-QOL), and 3 visual analog scales to rate disease burden, awareness of the disorder and issues related to professional life (QOD-VAS), was used to assess subjective information on olfactory dysfunction. We evaluated the split-half reliability, internal consistency and validity of the brief QOD. Results: The split-half reliability was 0.60 (QOD-P), 0.87 (QOD-QOL), and 0.66 (QOD-VAS), respectively. The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.63 (QOD-P), 0.87 (QOD-QOL), and 0.71 (QOD-VAS), respectively. Olfactory function was found to be associated with QOD-P, QOD-QOL and QOD-VAS. Conclusions: The brief QOD is a suitable scale for the assessment of subjective severity of olfactory dysfunction for purposes such as treatment counseling, disability assessment, treatment control, and research in patients with olfactory disorder.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (75) ◽  
pp. 361-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro dos Santos Maciel ◽  
Rosangela Ballini

ABSTRACT This article considers range-based volatility modeling for identifying and forecasting conditional volatility models based on returns. It suggests the inclusion of range measuring, defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum price of an asset within a time interval, as an exogenous variable in generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models. The motivation is evaluating whether range provides additional information to the volatility process (intraday variability) and improves forecasting, when compared to GARCH-type approaches and the conditional autoregressive range (CARR) model. The empirical analysis uses data from the main stock market indexes for the U.S. and Brazilian economies, i.e. S&P 500 and IBOVESPA, respectively, within the period from January 2004 to December 2014. Performance is compared in terms of accuracy, by means of value-at-risk (VaR) modeling and forecasting. The out-of-sample results indicate that range-based volatility models provide more accurate VaR forecasts than GARCH models.


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