Presentation Details
| Poor Olfaction and Risks of Pneumonia Hospitalization and Cardiovascular Diseases in Older Adults: Evidence from Two Community-Based Cohorts Yaqun Yuan1, Keran Chamberlin1, Zhehui Luo1, Chenxi Li1, Jayant M.Pinto2, Eleanor M.Simonsick3, Anna Kucharska-Newton4, Srishti Shrestha5, Honglei Chen1. 1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.2Section of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL, USA.3Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.4Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.5The Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA |
Abstract
Poor olfaction is common in older adults and may signify broader health implications beyond neurodegenerative diseases. We examined the association between poor olfaction and risks of pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases in two biracial, community-based cohorts of older adults. In the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study, 2,494 participants (mean age 75.6 years; 48.4% men; 61.7% White) completed the Brief Smell Identification Test at baseline. Olfaction was categorized as good (test score 11-12), moderate (9-10), or poor (0-8). Over a median follow-up of 12.1 years, poor olfaction was associated with higher rates of total pneumonia hospitalizations (intensity ratio 1.46, 95% CI 1.22-1.75) and first-ever pneumonia hospitalization (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.06-1.79), after accounting for potential confounding and the competing risk of death. Results were consistent across sex and race subgroups. In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, approximately 5,800 older adults (mean age 75.5 years; 41.0% men; 77.8% White) completed the 12-item Sniffin’ Sticks odor identification test at baseline. Olfaction was categorized using the same test score cutoffs as in Health ABC. During up to 10 years of follow-up, poor olfaction was associated with higher risks of incident stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and heart failure (HF). The multivariable-adjusted risk ratios (95% CI) for stroke were 2.14 (1.22-3.94) at year 2, 1.98 (1.43-3.02) at year 4, 1.91 (1.43-2.77) at year 6, 1.49 (1.17-2.00) at year 8, and 1.45 (1.16-1.95) at year 10. Similar associations were observed for CHD, whereas the association with HF differed slightly. Together, these findings provide evidence that poor olfaction is associated with higher risks of pneumonia and cardiovascular diseases in older adults.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.