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. 2020 Sep;32(112):271-279.
doi: 10.22038/ijorl.2019.40358.2325.

Predictors of Olfactory Impairment among Northern Iranian Population

Mir Mohammad Jalali  1 , Ali Faghih Habibi  1 , Mehdi Ghorbani Samin  2
Affiliations

Predictors of Olfactory Impairment among Northern Iranian Population

Mir Mohammad Jalali et al. Iran J Otorhinolaryngol. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: The performance in most smell identification tests is subjected to cultural variations. This study aimed to evaluate age, gender, and smoking-related effects on the test performance in the North of Iran.

Materials and methods: The olfactory function of 1470 eligible subjects was assessed in this study. Moreover, this study evaluated the influence of age, gender, and education on the test scores.

Results: According to the results, females obtained higher mean test scores, compared to males (18.4 vs. 17.6). In general, the elderly obtained lower scores, and about 30% of the subjects who were ≥65 years of age had severe hyposmia or anosmia. Furthermore, the olfactory impairment frequency in smoker subjects was significantly more than non-smokers (P<0.001). Test scores were generally higher in subjects with higher education levels. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the total number of cigarette doses in smokers and age had a significant association with olfactory dysfunction (P value <0.001 and 0.004, respectively). Cronbach's α of Iran-SIT was obtained at 0.78 which was more than an acceptable value of 0.7.

Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that a low score in the Iran-SIT correlated with smoking, older age, low education level, and gender (male).

Keywords: Iran; Olfactory disorders; Olfactory perception; Smell; Smell identification test.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Mean and 95% confidence interval of the Iran-SIT score as a function of age
Fig 2
Fig 2
Clinical classification of olfactory deficit in different age groups.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Comparison of Iran-SIT scores among male and female subjects with different levels of education (Q1=lowest level of education, Q4= highest level of education).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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