Disparities in Olfactory Dysfunction in African Americans

Area of Science:

• Olfactory research
• Racial-ethnic health disparities
• Sensory science

Background:

• Olfactory function can vary across different populations.
• Objective testing is crucial for accurate assessment of smell deficits.
• Understanding racial-ethnic differences in olfaction is important for healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare olfactory performance between African Americans (AA) and Whites using objective tests.
• To identify potential racial-ethnic disparities in scent detection and identification.
• To assess the cultural relevance of scents used in olfactory testing.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study included 102 healthy adults (46 AA, 56 Whites).
• Objective olfactory tests included the Affordable Rapid Olfactory Measurement Array (AROMA) and Sniffin' Sticks (SST-12).
• Self-reported olfactory function was assessed using the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22).

Main Results:

• AA participants scored significantly lower than Whites on both AROMA and SST-12.
• A higher percentage of AA (60.9%) were classified as hyposmic compared to Whites (30.4%) based on SST-12.
• AA identified fewer scents accurately on AROMA, including licorice, orange, and cinnamon.

Conclusions:

• African Americans demonstrated poorer performance on objective olfactory tests compared to Whites.
• A greater proportion of African Americans were identified as hyposmic, indicating a potential objective deficit.
• Discrepancies between objective findings and self-reported function suggest further investigation into cultural factors in scent testing.