ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2015
The Rate of Age-Related Olfactory Decline Among the General Population of Older U.S. Adults.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of olfactory training in improving olfactory function: a meta-analysis.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 · 2024Pooled it
- Functional determinants of dietary intake in community-dwelling older adults: a DEDIPAC (DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity) systematic literature review.Public health nutrition · 2018Pooled it
- Smoking and olfactory dysfunction: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.The Laryngoscope · 2017Pooled it
- Blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and olfactory decline over 15 years in older adults.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Neuroglia Alterations in the Olfactory Bulbs in Patients with Schizophrenia: An Exploratory Postmortem Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Age-related cognitive decline in house crickets reveals conserved patterns of sensory and learning deficits across the lifespan.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Evaluating effects of aging on dog olfactory performance.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Olfactory Decline in Elderly at High Altitudes: A Narrative Review.International journal of general medicine · 2026Review
- Poor Olfaction and Risk of Stroke in Older Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.Stroke · 2025Article
- Olfaction and diabetes among older adults.Chemical senses · 2025Article
- Observational
- Association between duration or intensity of tobacco smoking and olfactory function: A cross-sectional study among smokers willing to quit smoking.Tobacco induced diseases · 2025Article
- Association of prior military service with olfactory function among older adults.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2024Article
- Olfactory Impairment and the Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Older Adults.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2024Article
- Normative Data for the 12-Item Sniffin' Sticks Odor Identification Test in Older Adults.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2024Article
- Olfactory identification, cognition, depressive symptoms, and 5-year mortality in patients with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2024Article
- Diabetic Neuropathy Is Related to Rhinencephalon Degeneration in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes.Journal of diabetes research · 2024Article
- An experimental framework for conjoint measures of olfaction, navigation, and motion as pre-clinical biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports · 2024Review
- Factors influencing olfactory function in an adult general population sample: the CHRIS study.Chemical senses · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Poor Olfaction and Olfactory Decline in Older Adults in the ARIC Neurocognitive Study.Nutrients · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAge-related olfactory loss (presbyosmia) is a prevalent sensory impairment with a large public health impact. In cross-sectional analyses, we found striking health disparities in olfactory function among older U.S. adults. Here, we report a 5-year follow-up to determine the magnitude of within-person olfactory decline.
methodsThe National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) interviewed a probability sample of home-dwelling older U.S. adults (57-85 years) in 2005-2006 (Wave 1) and reinterviewed them in 2010-2011 (Wave 2), assessing demographics, social life, and health, including olfaction. Odor identification was measured with a 5-item version of the Sniffin' Sticks (0-5 correct). Fourteen hundred and thirty-six respondents provided olfaction data in both waves. Multivariate linear and logistic regression were used to model the association between change in olfactory performance and demographic, health, and psychosocial factors.
resultsOdor identification declined most rapidly among older individuals (0.25 additional errors per 5 years for each decade of age, p < .001) and in men (0.17 additional errors per 5 years compared to women, p = .005). Among those with perfect scores in Wave 1, African Americans declined more rapidly than Whites (p = .04). Neither socioeconomic status, health conditions, cognition, mental health, alcohol use nor smoking was associated with change in olfaction (p > .05, all).
conclusionsThe rate of olfactory decline increases with age and is greater among men than women despite adjusting for differences in psychosocial and health conditions, indicating physiologic factors as drivers. African Americans are more likely to experience initial olfactory decline, consistent with an earlier onset of aging among this subgroup.
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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.