Ship J A, Weiffenbach J M
Clinical Investigations and Patient Care Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
J Gerontol. 1993 Jan;48(1):M26-32. doi: 10.1093/geronj/48.1.m26.
Olfactory function diminishes with increasing age, which may impact on the safety and quality of life of older persons. This study examined the influence of age, gender, medical treatment, and medications on smell identification in a group of generally healthy individuals. Males (n = 221) and females (n = 166) between the ages of 19 and 95 years, from the oral physiology component of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, were administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test [UPSIT; (1)]. Older subjects had lower UPSIT scores, were more likely to be anosmic, and more often complained about their sense of smell and taste compared to younger subjects. Females had higher UPSIT scores compared to males. Although these age and gender effects are comparable to previous findings, performance among all subjects was superior to other studies; this is attributable, in part, to the overall healthy status of the population. Subjects being treated for medical problems and taking prescription medications had slightly lower UPSIT scores and more smell and taste complaints compared to other subjects, but these findings did not achieve statistical significance. Results suggest that age-related declines in olfaction occur as a part of the normal physiological aging process.
嗅觉功能会随着年龄增长而减退，这可能会影响老年人的安全和生活质量。本研究调查了年龄、性别、医疗状况及药物对一组总体健康人群嗅觉识别能力的影响。从巴尔的摩纵向衰老研究的口腔生理学部分选取了年龄在19至95岁之间的男性（n = 221）和女性（n = 166），对其进行宾夕法尼亚大学嗅觉识别测试[UPSIT；(1)]。与年轻受试者相比，年长受试者的UPSIT得分更低，嗅觉缺失的可能性更大，且更常抱怨自己的嗅觉和味觉。女性的UPSIT得分高于男性。尽管这些年龄和性别效应与先前的研究结果相当，但所有受试者的表现均优于其他研究；这部分归因于该人群的总体健康状况。与其他受试者相比，正在接受医疗问题治疗并服用处方药的受试者的UPSIT得分略低，嗅觉和味觉方面的抱怨更多，但这些结果未达到统计学显著性。结果表明，嗅觉随年龄增长而下降是正常生理衰老过程的一部分。
