Assessment of olfactory functions in diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is increasing all over the world and is a major public health problem in India. Studies have been done on diabetes and associated complications like, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy etc, but there is a paucity of research on olfactory functions in T2DM.: Assessment of olfactory functions in T2DM. This was a cross-sectional study done on 105 subjects; 35 T2DM patients ≤ 5 years disease duration and 35 T2DM patients > 5 years disease duration, and 35 controls. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institute’s Ethics Committee, and a written informed consent was obtained from all the subjects. Assessment of olfactory functions was done by olfactory evoked potentials (OEP). The study showed that the latencies of the OEP waves in T2DM patients showed a trend towards significance both with increased duration of the disease, and higher HbA1c levels. This can be interpreted as deviation from the normal pattern of OEP, seen in normal individuals. This opens opportunities for further research in this field.: Changes in the central processing of the olfactory functions with increasing duration of T2DM and greater HbA1c levels may occur. Early detection smell impairment and meticulous control of blood sugar levels are required to prevent complications of T2DM affecting the olfactory sensation.