Sense of Smell May Be Linked With Pneumonia: Study

A Michigan State University (MSU) research team found that poor sense of smell may signify a higher risk of pneumonia in older men and women, reports the Times Now News . An acute loss of smell is among the most common symptoms of COVID-19. However, for two decades, it has been linked to other maladies like dementia and Parkinson's disease. "About a quarter of adults 65 years or older have a poor sense of smell," remarks Honglei Chen, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics within MSU's College of Human Medicine. "Unlike vision or hearing impairment, this sensory deficit has been largely neglected; more than two-thirds of people with a poor sense of smell do not know they have it." In this first-of-its-kind study, Chen and his team analyzed 13 years of health data from 2,494 older adults, ages 71-82, from metropolitan areas of Memphis and Pittsburgh. The study was published in the journal Lancet Healthy Longevity .