Elder Care: New Signals for Cognitive Decline Discovered; "Olfactory Dysfunction" a big red flag

Difficulty Identifying Odors May Predict Cognitive Decline

If an older parent or other person in your care starts to have difficulty identifying common odors this may indicate a greater risk of developing problems with thinking, learning and memory. This conclusion is part of a study concluded by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and reported in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Researchers believe that mild cognitive impairment (that is a decline in thinking, learning and memory abilities) is increasingly recognized as a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. And "impairments in the ability to recognize odors have been associated with more rapid cognitive decline and also with the development transition from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease."

In the words of the study's authors:

"Among older persons without manifest cognitive impairment, difficulty in identifying odors predicts subsequent development of mild cognitive impairment. The findings suggest that olfactory dysfunction can be an early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease … and that olfactory assessment may be useful for early disease identification."

Press Release Source: Medical News Today

Original Source: Archives of General Psychology