Posted on 12/21/2016 9:27:20 PM PST by JimSEA
Tests that measure the sense of smell may soon become common in neurologists' offices. Scientists have been finding increasing evidence that the sense of smell declines sharply in the early stages of Alzheimer's, and now a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease confirms that administering a simple "sniff test" can enhance the accuracy of diagnosing this dreaded disease.
The sniff test also appears to be useful for diagnosing a pre-dementia condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which often progresses to Alzheimer's dementia within a few years.
Neurologists have been eager to find new ways to identify people who are at high risk of Alzheimer's dementia but do not yet show any symptoms. There is a widespread consensus that Alzheimer's medications now under development may not work after dementia has set in.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Roalf and his colleagues used a simple, commercially available test known as the Sniffin' Sticks Odor Identification Test, in which subjects must try to identify 16 different odors. They administered the sniff test, and a standard cognitive test (the Montreal Cognitive Assessment), to 728 elderly people.
There seems to be a significant increase in reliability combined with cognitive impairment tests alone for mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
I guess I was born with dementia. My smeller has been marginal since I was a kid. By the time I smell the gas leak everyone else is dead.
I can still smell my farts, so I guess I’m okay for now.
In that case, you don’t need to smell the gas — Just watch for people dropping dead and you’ll know there’s a gas leak. :=)
Holy crap!!!! I mistakenly took your post as a bit of a exaggeration, sorry. It’s amazing that you and your family survived that.
I heard, some years back, that one VERY early indicator of demntia/Alzheimers is excessive neatness in a child.
The kid whose desk was the teacher’s model for what a desk should look like and whose room was always picture perfect.
Of the couple people I know who had Alzheimers, they were very neat, one compulsively so.
I’m safe and so is mr. mm for sure.......
Scary story! Thank God you were awake enough to figure it out and save everybody.
A baseline Odor Identification Test in the earlier years would make sense.
Since then on one occasion in a full parish hall I noticed that all the small children were asleep and I was feeling sleepy, not compellingly so, but sleepy. I remembered the incident in St. Pete and went forward to tell the MC that I thought there was a gas leak in the heating system. He sniffed, and said I think you are right and told everyone to go out into the parking lot while he and I opened all the windows. I called my buddy who had an appliance repair business to come over and he did ten minutes later and smelled it. He hunted it down and fixed it and gave the system a thorough inspection and fixed a couple of other things, too.
Wow that was close. Glad your story had a happy ending.
Great story. It would make someone think twice about being in a building with any sort of gas heating.
That's why God created canaries.
As this is effective for mild cognitive impairment, you’re doubtless correct.
Hope you’re right. My immediate family is okay then. Slobs but okay.
I was just visiting a store that sells scented candles. I couldn’t smell any of them. But this has been going on for years so I don’t think I have Alzheimer’s.
...”I was just visiting a store that sells scented candles. I couldn’t smell any of them. But this has been going on for years so I don’t think I have Alzheimer’s.”...
I lost my sense of smell after taking a hard fall on my face and I can say that I really miss it and the sense of taste which also goes. Many people lose their sense of smell as they get older. In the end this test may prove not to be as effective as they think.
Zicam, baby. Took it right out.
Yep - long term sinus issues - even after “corrective” surgery. My wife can smell things and react strongly when I haven’t a clue that something stinks - she’s gonna have to be my brain in my declining years....
This is scary. I’ve lost my sense of smell over the last 6 months. The only thing I can smell is a constant odor of cigarette smoke, but no one around me smokes. I guess it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment.
Alzheimer’s runs in my family and it’s been one of my biggest fears since watching my grandmother deteriorate. She was a sweet, friendly woman until she developed Alzheimer’s and then she became mean. She would kick us as we walked by and mistreat her dog. It was sad to watch.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.