Association between subjective olfactory dysfunction and female hormone-related factors in South Korea

Abstract

An association between olfactory dysfunction and female hormone level has been reported; however, no previous studies have investigated the correlation with life-long female hormone exposure. The aim of this study was to estimate the association between subjective olfactory dysfunction and various endogenous and exogenous female hormone-related factors including age at menarche and menopause, number of pregnancies and deliveries, age at first and last delivery, duration of breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and use of hormone therapy. The study analysed a total of 3863 female participants using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010–2012). The prevalence of olfactory dysfunction was 3.5% for premenopausal participants and 6.2% for postmenopausal women. Among premenopausal women (compared to women breastfed less than 12 months), the 12–24-month group (OR = 4.690, 95% CI = 1.431–15.369) and the 25–48-month group (OR = 6.548, 95% CI = 1.758–24.394) had higher rates of olfactory dysfunction. In postmenopausal women, starting menopause at a younger age was positively associated with olfactory dysfunction (OR = 0.939, 95% CI = 0.887–0.993). These data suggest that a longer duration of endogenous oestrogen deprivation is associated with subjective olfactory dysfunction.

The association between olfactory dysfunction and cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in middle-aged and older adults

“…After adjusting for confounders, a strong association between CAD and olfactory dysfunction was observed among the males, whereas the association between abdominal obesity and olfactory dysfunction was significant in females. Changes in gonadal hormone levels with age may contribute to the observed differences in olfactory dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors with gender, especially in women [43][44][45][46] . Estrogen change is known to be linked to fat distribution after menopause, as well as to the prevalence of abdominal obesity which increases with age 47 .…”

The diagnostic value of the olfactory evaluation for congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

“…The longer the breastfeeding period of premenopausal women, the higher the risk of olfactory dysfunction, while the younger the postmenopausal women start to menopause, the higher the risk of olfactory dysfunction. Therefore, the study suggested that olfactory dysfunction was associated with endogenous estrogen deprivation (48). In clinical practice, our team also found that some KS patients with hormone replacement therapy subjectively reported an improved sense of smell.…”

Olfactory‐Related Adverse Events: An Analysis of the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Events Reporting System

“…In addition, a longer duration of endogenous estrogen deprivation is associated with subjective OD as seen in postmenopausal females. 9 We did not find a statistically significant difference between genders in all 4 categories, but females trended toward a lower risk of parosmia (0.94; 95% CI [0.68, 1.29]), hyposmia (0.66; 95% CI [0.32, 1.33]), and anosmia (0.92; 95% CI [0.72, 1.18]), with an increased risk of OD (2.4; 95% CI [0.54, 13.48]).…”

“…This prevalence rate markedly increased in older individuals, with 40% of individuals aged >65 years reporting OD 8 . Furthermore, olfactory questionnaires from a nationally representative Korean database reported a prevalence rate of OD of 4.5% 9 . Two additional studies in Europe and the United States, using questionnaires aimed primarily at determining the prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis, reported prevalence rates of OD of 7.6% and 9.4%, respectively 9,10 …”