Objective: This study is aimed to investigate the frequency of olfactory dysfunction in PD and its possible relationship with motor/non-motor symptoms and treatments. Also the comparison of PD patients with isolated olfactory dysfunction patients and healthy controls was done regarding clinical and laboratory findings.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction is one of the non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD). There are only a few studies regarding this concern.

Methods: This study is approved by local ethics committee. Totally 40 PD patients, (17women/23men), 42 healthy subjects and 37 patients with isolated impaired sense of smell were included into the study. The PD evaluation form consists of demographic and clinical characteristics was filled up. The co-morbid disease, treatments, smoking and head trauma history was recorded. Olfactory function was evaluated with Sniffin Sticks test (SST).

Results: The mean age and median disease duration of PD patients was 62,2(11,9) and 4,5 (min-max: 1-20) years. Median UPDRS score was 19.5 (4-60) and 27 (67.5%) of subjects are regarded as H-Y Stage-1. Most frequent non-motor symptom was constipation (67.5%) and in decreasing order orthosthatic hypotension (50%) and olfactory dysfunction (47.5%). Olfactory dysfunction was found in 75% of PD patients by SST. No difference was observed between PD patients with and without olfactory dysfunction regarding non-motor symptoms and dementia (p>0.05). Results of SST were not correlated with any of disease duration, UPDRS score and H-Y stage. There was no relationship with treatments and olfactory dysfunction (p=0.604). PD patients and other groups were similar regarding frequencies of depression, confusion and psychosis (respectively, p=0.111; p=0.375 ve p=0.333). Non-motor symptoms were not significantly different between isolated olfactory dysfunction group and healthy subjects (p>0.05).

Conclusions: In 75 percent of PD patients, olfactory dysfunction was observed by an objective test. And it was not correlated with disease duration and stage. Non-motor symptoms were similar between isolated olfactory dysfunction patients and healthy subjects as expected. In the subgroup analysis of PD patients with and without olfactory dysfunction, clinical characteristics and treatments were not statistically different. This result might support the role of non-dopaminergic pathways in etiopathogenesis of olfactory dysfunctions in PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/assessment-of-olfactory-dysfunction-in-parkinsons-disease-with-an-objective-test/