2023-06-28 13:00:00
Hyposmia, the diminished sense of smell, has long been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the elderly. A new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine has added shows that the loss of this sense is also linked to an increased risk of depression in older people.
There is a link between loss of smell and depression
For this study presented on June 26, 2023 in the journal Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, the scientists evaluated 2,125 people aged 70 to 73 at the start of the experiment. Participants were assessed physically annually and by telephone every six months. The tests measured, among other things, their ability to detect certain odors, signs of depression and their mobility.
When the sense of smell was first tested, 48% of participants displayed a normal sense of smell, 28% had a diminished sense of smell, known as hyposmia, and 24% had a profound loss of sense, or anosmia. . During the 8 years of follow-up, 25% of the volunteers also developed significant depressive symptoms.
“We have seen time and time once more that a poor sense of smell can be a harbinger of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as a risk for mortality. This study underscores its association with depressive symptoms”, explains Dr. Vidya Kamath, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Anosmia: the worse the sense of smell, the greater the depressive symptoms
Upon further analysis, the team found that older people with a loss of smell had an increased risk of developing significant depressive symptoms compared to those without. On the other hand, a lower perception of odors was associated with an increased risk of moderate or high depressive disorders. “Meaning the worse a person’s sense of smell, the greater their depressive symptoms”specifies the press release from the American establishment.
“Loss of your sense of smell influences many aspects of our health and behavior, such as detecting spoiled food or harmful gases, and enjoying eating. Now we can see that it can also be an indicator of significant vulnerability of something in your health that has gone wrong”said Dr Vidya Kamath. “Smell is an important way to engage with the world around us, and this study shows it can be a warning sign of late-onset depression.”
For the researchers, olfaction and depression are linked by both biological (for example, altered serotonin levels, changes in brain volume) and behavioral (for example, reduced social function and appetite) mechanisms. They also plan to test whether this meaning can be used in intervention strategies to mitigate the risk of depression at the end of life.
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