Olfactory function in Parkinsonian syndromes
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1
University of Dresden Medical School, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Neurology, Germany
Considering the current data on smell loss in over 95% of patients with Parkinson´s disease (PD), olfactory dysfunction has to be seen as a significant marker of the disease which is even more frequent than the classical symptom tremor. Consequently, structured and validated tests of olfactory function should be routinely used in the early and differential diagnosis of PD. In clinical routine, olfactory testing is often helpful to the physician in distinguishing PD from other forms of neurodegenerative parkinsonism, such as multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy. Furthermore, recent data indicate that smell loss in PD appears to take place during very early stages of the disease. As shown by the Braak neuropathological staging of PD, the olfactory system is among the first neuronal populations to display Lewy body pathology. The clinical data presented in this talk indicate that unexplained olfactory loss may be associated with an increased risk of developing PD.
In this session, we also present data on metabolic parkinsonism e.g., Wilson´s disease, and drug-induced parkinsonism. Wilson´s disease patients with neurological symptoms show a significant olfactory dysfunction compared to hepatic-type patients. In neuroleptic induced parkinsonism olfactory function decreases with increasing severity of extrapyramidal symptoms. Olfactory function is also damaged to varying degree in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer´s disease and Huntington´s disease.
Conference:
Summer School on Human Olfaction, Dresden, Germany, 19 Jul - 25 Jul, 2009.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Abstracts
Citation:
Haehner
A
(2009). Olfactory function in Parkinsonian syndromes.
Conference Abstract:
Summer School on Human Olfaction.
doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.12.008
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Received:
22 Jul 2009;
Published Online:
22 Jul 2009.
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Correspondence:
Antje Haehner, University of Dresden Medical School, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Neurology, Dresden, Germany, nemoABS01@frontiersin.org