# Olfactory Dysfunction in Aging Adults

> **NIH NIH R01** · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · 2021 · $421,722

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT:
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has been reported in more than 50% of older adults and is strongly
associated with 5 year mortality. Unfortunately, a key weakness of prior research on OD in
aging is that it comes primarily from broad population health surveys using limited screening tests
for OD. The result is that currently there are no methods for organizing patients with OD in aging
based on either disease site or mechanism. Various anatomic sites along the olfactory pathway
may be involved in OD in aging, including the nasal cavity, olfactory neuroepithelium, olfactory
nerves, cribriform plate, and central olfactory structures. At these anatomic sites, OD then likely
occurs through distinct mechanisms that will be associated with unique olfactory-specific
biomarkers. Although prior studies have been instrumental in demonstrating that OD is highly
prevalent in older individuals, most were not designed to comprehensively evaluate the olfactory-
specific measures that would allow classification into subtypes of OD. Our hypothesis is that
patients with OD in aging can be grouped into clinically relevant phenotypes based on
anatomic sites of dysfunction that will provide important mechanistic insights. Our long
term objective is to develop better diagnostic protocols and personalized treatments for patients
with OD in aging. However, in order to develop targeted treatments one must first be able to
classify patients based on the underlying site of disease and likely mechanism. This hypothesis
will be tested using the following Aims: 1) Establish reliable and clinically relevant phenotypes of
OD in older adults, 2) Determine the impact of OD on health and quality of life (QOL) in older
adults, and 3) Determine which baseline factors predict olfactory changes over time in older
adults. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders has a stated its
interest in this area, “as the population ages, (to) determine how many more people report…smell
problems that affect quality of life.” This proposal will improve our understanding of clinical
classifications, mechanisms, QOL impact and natural history of OD in older adults and lay the
groundwork for future studies examining therapeutic options to prevent, delay the onset or treat
OD in aging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10292813
- **Project number:** 1R01DC019078-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
- **Principal Investigator:** RODNEY JON SCHLOSSER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $421,722
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10292813

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10292813, Olfactory Dysfunction in Aging Adults (1R01DC019078-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10292813. Licensed CC0.

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