Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts 5-Year Mortality in Older
Adults
Abstract
Prediction of mortality has focused on disease and frailty,
although antecedent biomarkers may herald broad physiological decline.
Olfaction, an ancestral chemical system, is a strong candidate biomarker
because it is linked to diverse physiological processes. We sought to determine
if olfactory dysfunction is a harbinger of 5-year mortality in the National
Social Life, Health and Aging Project [NSHAP], a nationally representative
sample of older U.S. adults. 3,005 community-dwelling adults aged 57–85 were
studied in 2005–6 (Wave 1) and their mortality determined in 2010–11 (Wave 2).
Olfactory dysfunction, determined objectively at Wave 1, was used to estimate
the odds of 5-year, all cause mortality via logistic regression, controlling
for demographics and health factors.