Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42535360›Full record

SynthesisJournal of global health2026

Olfactory dysfunction and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zhuoshen Lin, Wenjing Liao, Meiqian Xu, Tianlong Li, Lijuan Song, Gui Chen, Huakang Du, Guofei Feng, Zhiming Feng, Qi Zhang and 5 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Zhuoshen Lin *The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Wenjing Liao *The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Meiqian Xu *The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Tianlong Li *The State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Lijuan SongThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Gui ChenThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Huakang DuThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Guofei FengThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Zhiming FengThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Qi ZhangThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yabang ChenThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Jiayi LiuThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Baoxin PengThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Jianlei XieThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Xiaowen ZhangThe State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Laboratory of ENT-HNS Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is a highly prevalent sensory deficit in older adults and a recognised early indicator of biological ageing and neurodegenerative disorders. Emerging epidemiological evidence links olfactory impairment to an elevated risk of all-cause mortality, yet methodological variations in how olfactory dysfunction is defined and assessed across studies have led to inconsistent effect estimates, necessitating a systematic, quantitative synthesis of the evidence. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library for cohort studies published up to 1 July 2025 that investigated the association between olfactory dysfunction and mortality in older adults. We used a multilevel meta-analytic model with restricted maximum likelihood estimation to calculate pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: We identified 14 eligible cohort studies (12 included in meta-analysis). Olfactory dysfunction was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, with a pooled HR of 1.20 (95% CI = 1.11, 1.29, P < 0.001). Publication bias was detected (Egger's test, P = 0.0003), and Trim-and-Fill correction attenuated the pooled HR to 1.09 (95% CI = 1.00, 1.19), with the association remaining statistically significant. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the primary finding, with no single study driving the association. Conclusions: Olfactory dysfunction is associated with all-cause mortality risk in older adults, with the strength of this association strongly influenced by methodological choices in the definition and assessment of olfactory function. These findings highlight olfactory dysfunction as a potential surrogate marker of systemic physiological decline in ageing populations and underscore the critical need for standardised olfactory assessment methodologies in future epidemiological and geriatric research to improve the comparability and clinical translation of evidence. Registration: PROSPERO: CRD420251173699.

Indexed as

Olfaction DisordersCause of DeathHumansageingall-cause mortalityhazard ratioolfactory dysfunction

Identifiers

PMID42535360
PMCPMC13425369

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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.