Association of nasal surgery with olfactory function among older adults

Olfactory Dysfunction (OD) is a prevalent condition that commonly presents in the older adult population. Various factors have been shown to contribute to OD, such as neurodegenerative disease, older age, and smoking status; however, the influence of nasal surgery on olfactory function is not well delineated. This study seeks to explore the potential effect of nose surgery on olfactory function.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on data for 2285 adults from Round 1 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative sample of US older adults. The 5-item Sniffin' Sticks test was used to define olfactory function: correctly identifying ≥4 odors indicated normal olfactory function, while correctly identifying 0-3 odors was considered OD Associations between prior nasal surgery and OD were assessed using multivariable logistic regression, and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Analyses were weighted using NSHAP-provided person-level weights to account for sampling design.

OD was present in 18.4 % of adults. The weighted average age was 67.1 ± 7.2 years among those with normal olfaction and 70.9 ± 7.9 years for those with OD. Of adults with OD, 9.8 % had a prior nasal surgery as compared to 8.1 % of those with normal olfaction, although the difference was not statistically significant. After adjusting for age, gender, race, education, prior stroke, dementia, and self-reported mental health, prior nasal surgery was not significantly associated with OD (OR: 1.14; 95 % CI: 0.77-1.70).

Prior nasal surgery was not associated with OD after controlling for covariates. While this study does provide unique insight into the relationship between nasal surgery and OD in nationally representative cohort of older adults, it was limited since the dataset utilized did not contain information on the specific surgery that participants underwent. Therefore, further research with more detailed information on the types of nasal surgeries and sinonasal conditions prior to surgery would further help elucidate the relationship between and nasal surgery and OD.