Introduction The sense of smell, a primal and vital human sense, holds significance in perceiving dangers and fostering social connections. It plays a crucial role in food selection and consumption habits, with olfactory impairments linked to preferences for high-calorie, fatty foods in older individuals. Various factors, including trauma, viral infections, and neurodegenerative diseases, contribute to olfactory dysfunctions, with conditions like diabetes mellitus showing correlations with olfactory impairment. Despite the prevalence of arterial hypertension in the population, the association between blood pressure and olfactory function remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the correlation between blood pressure and olfactory function in the elderly population.
Objective and Research Questions The objective of this dissertation is to analyze the relationship between blood pressure and olfactory function in the older population using data from the third survey of the population-based Heinz-Nixdorf-Recall Study, involving participants aged 55 to 86 years. The study seeks to answer the following questions:
- What is the gender- and age-specific prevalence of olfactory function?
- Is there an association between olfactory function and blood pressure?
- Is there a correlation between olfactory function and blood pressure considering predefined factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status, type 2 diabetes mellitus, use of antihypertensive medication, BMI, and smoking status)?
Methodology Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS Version 9.4. Descriptive statistics were stratified by olfactory function, including means, minimum and maximum values, and standard deviations. Logistic regression models were employed to estimate the association between blood pressure and olfactory function, adjusting for covariates such as gender, age, diabetes mellitus, smoking behavior, BMI, socioeconomic status, and use of antihypertensive medication. The analyses involved several models, progressively adjusting for covariates to assess the relationship between blood pressure and olfactory function.
Results and Discussion The prevalence of hypertension was 28%, with 11% of participants classified as anosmic and 65% as hyposmic. Gender and age showed significant effects on olfactory function, with older individuals and males exhibiting higher odds of olfactory dysfunction. Smoking and lower education levels were associated with increased odds of olfactory impairment. However, despite adjustments for confounding variables, no significant association was found between blood pressure and olfactory function.
Conclusion Olfactory impairment can profoundly impact an individual’s quality of life. While several factors contribute to olfactory dysfunction, the relationship between blood pressure and olfactory function remains unclear. This study, utilizing data from a large-scale population-based survey, found no significant correlation between blood pressure and olfactory function in older adults. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longitudinal designs are warranted to explore the complexities of olfactory impairments comprehensively.