RESEARCH - The sense of smell in SLE

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Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Apr 29;60(5):1484-1487.

The sense of smell in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Shoenfeld N, Agmon-Levin N, Flitman-Katzevman I, Paran D, Katz BS,

Kivity S, Langevitz P, Zandman-Goddard G, Shoenfeld Y.

Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the olfactory functions in systemic lupus

erythematosus (SLE) patients compared with age- and sex-matched

healthy controls, and to examine the association between the sense of

smell and disease activity and central nervous system (CNS)

involvement.

METHODS: Olfactory functions in 50 SLE patients and 50 age- and

sex-matched controls were evaluated using the Sniffin' Sticks test,

the 3 stages of which are threshold, discrimination, and

identification (TDI) of different odors. TDI scores were analyzed

according to SLE disease activity and CNS involvement.

RESULTS: In both the SLE and control groups, smell deficit correlated

with male sex and older age. A decrease in the sense of smell was

observed in SLE patients (46%) and controls (25%) (P </= 0.02), while

loss of smell (anosmia) was documented only in SLE patients (10%).

Total TDI scores and individual stages of smell correlated with SLE

Disease Activity Index (P < 0.001) and CNS manifestations (P < 0.03).

CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a decrease in the sense

of smell in SLE patients compared with healthy subjects and that the

decrease in the sense of smell among SLE patients correlates with

disease activity and CNS involvement.

PMID: 19404932

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19404932

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