Scientists continue to make leaps and bounds to establish the early signs of dementia. This is especially important as the number of people living with the mind-robbing condition is set to increase to a whopping 153 million by 2050.
One line of research asserts that early clues may arise in your nose.
While loss of smell is better known as one of the tell-tale signs of Covid, it could also be an early warning sign of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to The Key.
The portal states: “If your loved one has trouble smelling things, such as food that went bad in the fridge or the fact that they have body odour from not bathing, don’t assume it may be because they had COVID-19.
“New research from the National Institute on Aging that followed 364 participants over an average period of about two and a half years found that lower olfactory test scores were associated with a higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.”
This isn’t the first study to draw a link between the nose and dementia. Initial research from 2016, published in the journal Annals of Neurology, found that those who had trouble identifying scents like menthol, strawberry and lemon seemed to be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Doctor Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre, said: “When someone can’t distinguish between different smells, it may absolutely be a signal that Alzheimer’s disease is brewing.”
A similar study, published in the American Geriatrics Society, noticed that participants who could not identify four out of five smells were twice as likely to have dementia five years later.
What’s more, the degree of olfactory deficit correlated with the severity of dementia that occurred. Findings revealed that 4.1 percent of participants went on to develop dementia within five years, 47 percent of whom had olfactory dysfunction at the initial evaluation.
Ear, nose and throat specialist said: “These results show that the sense of smell is closely connected with brain function and health.” He added that a loss of sense of smell could be indicative of “significant damage”.
