5 ms·
Among the folks I know, the number who lost their sense of smell in their 30s-40s who later went on to develop some form of dementia is 100%, n=5. Different co
by Baeocystin 3y ago
Among the folks I know, the number who lost their sense of smell in their 30s-40s who later went on to develop some form of dementia is 100%, n=5.
Different countries, different cultures and backgrounds, but the common denominator is loss of smell predated their dementia diagnosis by ~20 years,+/-5.
- matheusmoreira 3y agoUnexplained and persistent hyposmia or anosmia is definitely correlated with dementia. Doctors do look for it in practice as it's often an early sign. Precise statistics escape me at the moment.
- ahartmetz 3y agoMy dad could not smell for a few years in his 50s - he has Parkinson's disease now, which started (noticeably) about 20 years later. It seems to be subjectively quite awful (depression-like symptoms, difficulty walking - sports was a big part of his life) but at least I can still talk to him like an adult - it's not a proper dementia.
- magicalhippo 3y agoOn a similar note, I recall this research[1] from some years ago about how loss of smell was a strong predictor of death within 5 years in older people. [1]: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0107541 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...
- rstalledman 3y ago[flagged]