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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1519290

Association between olfactory dysfunction and gustatory dysfunction: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Provisionally accepted
Tao Xiong Tao Xiong 1,2*Yi Yang Yi Yang 1,2Chao Zhang Chao Zhang 3
  • 1 Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Center of Biomedical Big Data, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    AbstractBackground: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) and gustatory dysfunction (GD) are common among adults, with prevalence increasing significantly in older age groups. Both dysfunctions have negative effects on appetite, nutrition, social functioning and even environmental safety. OD and GD frequently coexist, indicating a possible close association between these conditions. At present, there is a lack of large-sample epidemiological studies on the relationship between OD and GD. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between OD and GD using both measurement and questionnaire data from the 2013-2014 NHANES for US adults aged 40 years and older.Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). OD and GD were both assessed by measurements and questionnaires. The association between OD and GD was investigated with logistic regression models by adjusting for demographic characteristics, systemic diseases, and diseases of the nose and pharynx. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are presented.Results: Participants with complete olfactory and gustatory measurements and questionnaires (n=2,582) were included. Using whole-mouth measurements, anosmia OD significantly increased the odds of hypogeusia and ageusia GD after adjusting for confounding factors. Similarly, the questionnaire data revealed that OD significantly increased the odds of GD. However, hyposmia OD decreased the odds of hypogeusia GD using the tongue-tip taste measurement.Conclusion: Our findings highlighted that OD was closely associated with GD in a nationally representative sample of US adults.Keywords: olfaction; gustation; dysfunction; association; measurement; questionnaire; epidemiology; NHANES

    Keywords: Olfaction, gustation, dysfunction, Association, Measurement, questionnaire, Epidemiology, NHANES

    Received: 29 Oct 2024; Accepted: 30 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Xiong, Yang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Tao Xiong, Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.