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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Sensory Science

Background:

  • Olfactory dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a potential indicator of underlying health issues in older adults.
  • Limited empirical evidence exists on the association between poor olfaction and incident coronary heart disease (CHD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between olfactory status and the risk of developing incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in an older adult population.
  • To quantify the risk of CHD associated with different levels of olfaction.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of secondary data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort.
  • Inclusion of 5142 older adults without prior CHD, with olfaction assessed via a 12-item odor identification test.
  • Follow-up for incident CHD events using discrete-time subdistribution hazard models, accounting for competing risks.

Main Results:

  • Poor olfaction was associated with a higher risk of incident CHD, with adjusted marginal risk ratios ranging from 2.06 at year 2 to 1.08 at year 9.
  • The association between poor olfaction and CHD risk attenuated over extended follow-up periods.
  • Moderate olfaction showed a weaker but similar time-varying association with CHD risk compared to poor olfaction.

Conclusions:

  • Poor olfaction, assessed by a smell identification test, is associated with an elevated risk of incident CHD in older adults.
  • The findings suggest that olfactory function may serve as a potential biomarker for cardiovascular risk in aging populations.
  • Further research could explore the mechanisms linking olfaction and CHD and the clinical utility of smell tests in risk stratification.