Gesundheitswesen 2017; 79(08/09): 656-804
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1605999
Poster
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Association between cognitive and olfactory performance: results from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study

M Yahiaoui-Doktor
1   University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Leipzig
2   University of Leipzig, LIFE – Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig
,
T Luck
2   University of Leipzig, LIFE – Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig
3   University of Leipzig, Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Leipzig
,
SG Riedel-Heller
3   University of Leipzig, Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Leipzig
,
M Löffler
1   University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Leipzig
2   University of Leipzig, LIFE – Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig
,
K Wirkner
2   University of Leipzig, LIFE – Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig
,
C Engel
1   University of Leipzig, Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Leipzig
2   University of Leipzig, LIFE – Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, Leipzig
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
01 September 2017 (online)

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Background:

Dementia affects over 47 million people worldwide, with 7.7 million new cases each year, and is thus declared a public health priority by the WHO. Studies in older adults or those with cognitive impairment have shown associations between cognition and olfaction. Population-based studies are thus far largely lacking. We therefore cross-sectionally analysed the association between cognitive performance and the presence of olfactory dysfunction using data from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study.

Methods:

The analysis included 7,032 participants (age 18 – 79). Olfactory performance was assessed using the „Sniffin' Sticks – Screening 12 Test“. Individuals identifying fewer than 11 of the 12 odours correctly were considered as having olfactory dysfunction. Cognitive tests comprised subtests of the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) test battery (VF: verbal fluency, WLL/WLR: word list learning and recall, MMSE: Mini-Mental-Status-Examination) and the Trail Making Tests (TMT) A and B. MMSE was performed by subjects aged >= 60 only. Binary logistic regression was used to analyse associations adjusted for sex, age, education, smoking and depression.

Results:

Worse performance in 5 of the 6 cognitive tests was significantly associated with higher risk of olfactory dysfunction in the adjusted regression analysis: VF: OR = 0.98 per score point (psp), 95%CI 0.97 – 0.99, p < 0.001; WLL: OR = 0.95 psp, 95%CI 0.93 – 0.99, p = 0.003; WLR: OR = 0.94 psp, 95%CI 0.89 – 1.01, p = 0.075; TMT-A: OR = 1.01 psp, 95%CI 1.003 – 1.011, p = 0.002; TMT-B/A: OR = 1.07 psp, 95%CI 1.01 – 1.13, p = 0.020; MMSE: OR = 0.89 psp, 95%CI 0.83 – 0.96, p = 0.003.

Conclusion:

This cross-sectional study suggests that lower cognitive function is associated with olfactory dysfunction. The value of olfactory testing in early screening for cognitive impairment needs to be investigated in prospective studies.