Losing ability to smell, could be the first indication of dementia
Losing the ability to smell peppermint, fish, orange, rose
and leather could be an accurate early warning sign of dementia,
according to a new study.
The ability of nearly 3,000 people aged 57 to 85 to detect these five odours was tested by scientists.
When they returned about five years later, almost all of the people who had not been able to name a single one of the five scents had dementia, as did nearly 80 per cent of those who gave only one or two correct answers.
However other experts said people could lose their sense of smell for other reasons with one writing that the study did not support the idea that “smell testing would be a useful tool for predicting the onset of dementia”.
One of the researchers,a Prof. said: “Loss of the sense of smell is a strong signal that something has gone wrong and significant damage has been done.
“This simple smell test could provide a quick and inexpensive way to identify those who are already at high risk.
“Of all human senses, smell is the most undervalued and underappreciated – until it’s gone.”
However he added: “Our test simply marks someone for closer attention. Much more work would need to be done to make it a clinical test. But it could help find people who are at risk. Then we could enrol them in early-stage prevention trials.”
In the study, 78 per cent of those tested had a normal sense of smell, correctly identifying either four or five of the odours.
Nearly 19 per cent got two or three out of five correct, while 2.2 per cent could only identify one and one per cent were unable to tell what any of the scents were.
“These results show that the sense of smell is closely connected with brain function and health,” Prof. said.
“We think smell ability specifically, but also sensory function more broadly, may be an important early sign, marking people at greater risk for dementia.
“We need to understand the underlying mechanisms so we can understand neurodegenerative disease and hopefully develop new treatments and preventative interventions.”
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-
The ability of nearly 3,000 people aged 57 to 85 to detect these five odours was tested by scientists.
When they returned about five years later, almost all of the people who had not been able to name a single one of the five scents had dementia, as did nearly 80 per cent of those who gave only one or two correct answers.
However other experts said people could lose their sense of smell for other reasons with one writing that the study did not support the idea that “smell testing would be a useful tool for predicting the onset of dementia”.
One of the researchers,a Prof. said: “Loss of the sense of smell is a strong signal that something has gone wrong and significant damage has been done.
“This simple smell test could provide a quick and inexpensive way to identify those who are already at high risk.
“Of all human senses, smell is the most undervalued and underappreciated – until it’s gone.”
However he added: “Our test simply marks someone for closer attention. Much more work would need to be done to make it a clinical test. But it could help find people who are at risk. Then we could enrol them in early-stage prevention trials.”
In the study, 78 per cent of those tested had a normal sense of smell, correctly identifying either four or five of the odours.
Nearly 19 per cent got two or three out of five correct, while 2.2 per cent could only identify one and one per cent were unable to tell what any of the scents were.
“These results show that the sense of smell is closely connected with brain function and health,” Prof. said.
“We think smell ability specifically, but also sensory function more broadly, may be an important early sign, marking people at greater risk for dementia.
“We need to understand the underlying mechanisms so we can understand neurodegenerative disease and hopefully develop new treatments and preventative interventions.”
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-
HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-
FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-
HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS
HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM
Labels: dementia, loss of smell
posted by G S Iyer at 11:07 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home