Olfaction and Coronary Heart Disease

Is a single smell test result associated with the future risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in older adults?In this cohort study of 5142 community-dwelling US older adults from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, poor olfaction as assessed by a brief smell identification test was associated with a higher absolute risk of CHD. However, the association was attenuated after 4 years of follow-up.The study findings suggest that poor olfaction as assessed by a single smell test may signify future elevated risk of CHD among older adults.

Corresponding Author: Honglei Chen, PhD, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 909 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824 (chenho19@msu.edu).

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