Olfactory identification impairment in early‐and late‐onset obsessive–compulsive disorder

Abstract

Background Early‐onset obsessive–compulsive disorder (EOCD) is a comparatively severe subtype of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom of OCD, but all previous studies have focused on late‐onset OCD (LOCD). Methods The current study compared olfactory identification ability in EOCD patients and age‐matched and sex‐matched LOCD patients and healthy controls. Thirty patients with EOCD, 30 patients with LOCD and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Olfactory function was measured using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test. The Logical Memory and Visual Reproduction components of the Revised Wechsler Memory Scale were used to evaluate verbal and visual memory. Results There were significant differences in olfactory identification ability between the three groups. EOCD patients were comparable to LOCD patients, while both patients' group showing worse olfactory identification ability than controls. Olfactory identification ability was not significantly correlated with verbal and visual memory or clinical symptoms in the EOCD group or the LOCD group. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that olfactory identification ability may be a relatively stable indicator of OCD, independent of age, duration of illness, verbal and visual memory, and severity of clinical symptoms.

Variations in olfactory function among bipolar disorder patients with different episodes and subtypes

“…Chen et al ( 16 ) found OI and OS deficits in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, compared with healthy controls. And a few studies in other anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder ( 17 , 18 ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder ( 19 , 20 ) reported the deficits of olfactory function. Given the high prevalence of anxiety disorders (up to 50%) among BD patients ( 40 ), this comorbidity might aggravate the impairment of olfactory function.…”

“…Therefore, changes in olfactory function have great potential as early biomarkers of disease ( 10 ). At present, psychological conditions such as schizophrenia ( 11 , 12 ), depression ( 13 , 14 ), anxiety disorder ( 15 , 16 ), post-traumatic stress disorder ( 17 , 18 ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder ( 19 , 20 ), have been associated with olfactory defects.…”

Exploring Association Between Serotonin and Neurogenesis Related Genes in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Chinese Han People: Promising Association Between DMRT2, miR-30a-5p, and Early-Onset Patients

“…α was set as 0.05. Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis were conducted using the SHEsis calculator (39,40). Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) analysis following 5,000 permutation tests was conducted to explore the gene * gene or gene * gene * sex interaction.…”

Impaired olfactory function in bipolar disorder patients during acute episodes regardless of psychotic symptoms

“…It has been reported that olfactory disorders can be used as markers of a series of neuropsychiatric diseases, and the evaluation of olfactory function involves measures of olfactory identification (OI), olfactory sensitivity (OS), and other factors (2). Recent evidence suggests that many patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, depression, BD, posttraumatic stress disorder and other diseases have abnormal olfactory function (3)(4)(5)(6). Lahera et al (7) and Cumming et al (8) reported that many BD patients have OI defects.…”