Olfactory Dysfunction in Iranian Diabetic Patients Pubmed



Seraj JM¹ ; Seraj SM¹ ; Zakeri H¹ ; Bidar Z¹ ; Hashemi S¹ ; Parsa FM¹ ; Yazdani N¹
Source: Acta Medica Iranica Published:2015

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction is a known complication of diabetes and, despite its importance in the quality of life, is usually neglected due to its gradual progression. In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence and severity of olfactory dysfunction in diabetics and its association with microangiopathic complications of the disease (neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy). Excluding the confounding factors, a case-control study of 60 eligible subjects, divided into a group of 30 diabetic patients and a group of 30 control subjects was performed. We used “absorbent perfumer's paper strips” method to test the olfactory threshold. In our study, 60% of diabetics were found to have some degree of olfactory dysfunction and a significant difference (P<0.01) between the olfactory threshold of the case and control groups was observed. There were no significant associations between the olfactory dysfunction and age, sex, treatment duration and microangiopathic complications. © 2015 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.