Highlights
- •Olfactory dysfunction is one of the clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis and is usually underdiagnosed.
- •Olfaction may be affected, especially in the early stages of multiple sclerosis.
- •Frequent attacks and longer duration of disease were inversely correlated with olfactory test scores/subscores.
- •Smell identification and smell threshold scores were higher in patients with higher Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores.
- •The Expanded Disability Status Scale had no significant effect on olfactory test scores.
Abstract
Background
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common chronic neurological disease that causes disability.
MS can have various clinical manifestations, one of which is olfactory dysfunction.
In clinical practice, olfactory disturbances are usually underdiagnosed. The aim of
our study is to assess olfactory function and its relationship with MS disease duration,
disability and cognition.
Method
We assessed 31 MS patients and 24 healthy controls matched in sex and age at our MS
outpatient clinic of the Istanbul Education and Research Hospital Neurology Department.
Each subject was interviewed to obtain demographic data. The Connecticut Chemosensory
Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) olfactory test and Montreal Cognitive Assessment
(MOCA) were applied to each participant.
Results
The CCCRC test scores of the MS patients were lower than those in the control group
(p < 0.05). Patients with a longer disease duration and more frequent attacks had lower
CCCRC scores (p < 0.05). The Expanded Disability Status Scale scores had no correlation
with the CCCRC test scores. The MOCA score was positively correlated with all domains
of the olfactory test scores.
Conclusion
This study supports the presence of olfactory dysfunction in early stages of MS and
the correlation of cognitive impairment with olfactory dysfunction, even in the early
stages of the disease in young and less physically- disabled patients. The assessment
of olfaction may be helpful as a surrogate method for tracking disease progression
in patients over time.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 03, 2018
Accepted:
February 27,
2018
Received in revised form:
February 21,
2018
Received:
October 31,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
