Something as simple as your sense of smell could soon become a key test in helping to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early.
There has been increasing evidence that a person’s sense of smell decreases sharply in the early stages of the disease.
Open Image Modal
Flashpop via Getty Images
Now researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created a simple “sniff test” which appears to be efficient at diagnosing a pre-dementia condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
MCI can then progress over a period of years into Alzheimer’s dementia.
David R. Roalf, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of Psychiatry at Penn said: “There’s the exciting possibility here that a decline in the sense of smell can be used to identify people at risk years before they develop dementia,”
Roalf and his team used an already commercially available test called the Sniffin’ Sticks Odor Identification Test.
They then asked over 700 patients to identify 16 different smells. The patients had already been grouped into three categories: “healthy older adult,” “mild cognitive impairment,” or “Alzheimer’s dementia.”
What they found was this while not wholly useful on its own, when combined with an already existing cognitive test the researchers we able to increase the accuracy of their findings from 75 per cent to 87 per cent.
“These results suggest that a simple odour identification test can be a useful supplementary tool for clinically categorising MCI and Alzheimer’s, and even for identifying people who are at the highest risk of worsening,” Roalf said.
“We’re hoping to shorten the Sniffin’ Sticks test, which normally takes 5 to 8 minutes, down to 3 minutes or so, and validate that shorter test’s usefulness in diagnosing MCI and dementia ― we think that will encourage more neurology clinics to do this type of screening,”
Recognising The Early Symptoms Of Dementia:
Early Symptoms of Dementia
No Initiative (01 of10)
Open Image Modal
At times everyone can become tired of housework, business activities, or social obligations. However a person with dementia may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or appear to lose interest in hobbies. (credit:John Rensten via Getty Images)
Changes in Personality (02 of10)
Open Image Modal
A person with dementia may seem different from his or her usual self in ways that are difficult to pinpoint. A person may become suspicious, irritable, depressed, apathetic or anxious and agitated especially in situations where memory problems are causing difficulties. (credit:fStop Images - Carl Smith via Getty Images)
Mood Changes(03 of10)
Open Image Modal
Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. A person with dementia may become unusually emotional and experience rapid mood swings for no apparent reason. Alternatively a person with dementia may show less emotion than was usual previously. (credit:Mike Chick via Getty Images)
Misplace Things (04 of10)
Open Image Modal
Anyone can temporarily misplace his or her wallet or keys. A person with dementia may put things in unusual places such as an iron in the fridge or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. (credit:Oli Kellett via Getty Images)
Problems With Keeping Track of Things (05 of10)
Open Image Modal
A person with dementia may find it difficult to follow a conversation or keep up with paying their bills. (credit:Chris Red via Getty Images)
Increasingly poor Judgement(06 of10)
Open Image Modal
People with dementia may dress inappropriately, wearing several layers of clothes on a warm day or very few on a cold day. (credit:Jessica Peterson via Getty Images)
Distortion of Time and Place (07 of10)
Open Image Modal
We sometimes forget the day of the week or where we are going but people with dementia can become lost in familiar places such as the road they live in, forget where they are or how they got there, and not know how to get back home. A person with dementia may also confuse night and day. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Problems With Language(08 of10)
Open Image Modal
Occasionally everyone has trouble finding the right word but a person with dementia often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making speech or writing hard to understand. (credit:Jupiterimages via Getty Images)
Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks(09 of10)
Open Image Modal
People with dementia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with dementia may not know in what order to put clothes on or the steps for preparing a meal. (credit:Anthony Harvie via Getty Images)
Memory Loss(10 of10)
Open Image Modal
Declining memory, especially short-term memory, is the most common early symptom of dementia. People with ordinary forgetfulness can still remember other facts associated with the thing they have forgotten. For example, they may briefly forget their next-door neighbour's name but they still know the person they are talking to is their next-door neighbour. A person with dementia will not only forget their neighbour's name but also the context. (credit:Compassionate Eye Foundation via Getty Images)