Trial reportAnnals of neurology2015
Olfactory identification deficits and increased mortality in the community.
Trial report in Annals of neurology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Olfactory dysfunction and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2026Pooled it
- Association of Olfactory Impairment With All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Prevalence of Olfactory Dysfunction in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Meta-analysis of 27,492 Patients.The Laryngoscope · 2021Pooled it
- Smoking and olfactory dysfunction: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.The Laryngoscope · 2017Pooled it
- A quantitative meta-analysis of olfactory dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2017Pooled it
- Olfactory impairment and the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults: a meta-analysis.Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngologyPooled it
- Olfactory Sequelae of Nasal Surgeries: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialePooled it
- Long-term Outcomes of PRP Injections for Post-viral Olfactory Loss: A Prospective Cohort Study.International forum of allergy & rhinology · 2025Trial
- Article
- Assessment and behavioural management options for older adults with declined smell and taste functions: a scoping review.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Functional olfactory impairment and fatigue in post-COVID-19 syndrome including ME/CFS - a longitudinal prospective observational study.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Efficacy of Platelet Rich Plasma Versus Placebo for Improvement in Olfactory Function in Adults With Olfactory Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Topical Anesthesia and Olfactory Capability: A Pilot Study.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- Towards universal chemosensory testing: needs, barriers, and opportunities.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Odors as cognitive constructs: history of odor classification and attempts to map odor percepts to physical and chemical parameters.Chemical senses · 2025Review
- The Role of Air Pollution and Olfactory Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease Pathogenesis.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- A comparison study of sensory processing in older adults with and without dementia.Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Aging-associated sensory decline and Alzheimer's disease.Molecular neurodegeneration · 2024Review
- Association between perceived olfactory dysfunction and all-cause mortality in Chinese adults: A prospective community-based study.Journal of global health · 2024Article
- Nature and human well-being: The olfactory pathway.Science advances · 2024Review
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine the association between odor identification deficits and future mortality in a multiethnic community cohort of older adults.
methodsParticipants were evaluated with the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Follow-up occurred at 2-year intervals with information on death obtained from informant interviews and the National Death Index.
resultsDuring follow-up (mean = 4.1 years, standard deviation = 2.6), 349 of 1,169 (29.9%) participants died. Participants who died were more likely to be older (p < 0.001), be male (p < 0.001), have lower UPSIT scores (p < 0.001), and have a diagnosis of dementia (p < 0.001). In a Cox model, the association between lower UPSIT score and mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.07 per point interval, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05-1.08, p < 0.001) persisted after controlling for age, gender, education, ethnicity, language, modified Charlson medical comorbidity index, dementia, depression, alcohol abuse, head injury, smoking, body mass index, and vision and hearing impairment (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03-1.07, p < 0.001). Compared to the fourth quartile with the highest UPSIT scores, HRs for mortality for the first, second, and third quartiles of UPSIT scores were 3.81 (95% CI = 2.71-5.34), 1.75 (95% CI = 1.23-2.50), and 1.58 (95% CI = 1.09-2.30), respectively. Participant mortality rate was 45% in the lowest quartile of UPSIT scores (anosmia) and 18% in the highest quartile of UPSIT scores.
interpretationImpaired odor identification, particularly in the anosmic range, is associated with increased mortality in older adults even after controlling for dementia and medical comorbidity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.