ALLERGIC OLFACTION IMPAIRMENT DIFFERS WITH AGE, GENDER, AND RACE: A WELL-CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE CHAMBER TRIAL

Strong correlation between nasal congestion and olfaction impairment was first demonstrated in this trial conducted in an Environmental Exposure Chamber (EEC). The objective of these retrospective analyses was to examine age, gender and race on olfaction changes with allergy. Consented ragweed allergic subjects (n=40) were exposed to naturalistic ragweed pollen levels in two-2h priming sessions then one-8hr EEC session. Standard nasal symptoms were collected and olfactory sensitivity was assessed using Sniffin’ Sticks as Threshold, Discrimination and Identification (TDI) scores, pre-EEC and after exposure for 240 and 480 mins. Age: Younger subjects 20-29yrs (n=4) had higher baseline TDI and lower TDI changes at 240mins (CFB240=-.2) with none developing hyposmia (TDI<30.3) compared to older participants: 30-39yr (10;3.3;n.s.;20%) (n;TDI CFB240; p-value vs 20-29yrs; % hyposmic), 40-49yr (11;4.0;p=0.01;45%), 50-59yr (11;2.3;n.s.;18%), 60-69yrs (4;3.3;n.s.;50%). Gender: Baseline TDI or TDI CFB240 was comparable between females (n=24) and males (n=16) with 20% and 37.5% developing hyposmia respectively. Race: Mean TDI CFB240 was highest for Asians 3.6 (p=0.008;8;37.5%) (p-value vs baseline;n;% hyposmic) than Caucasians 2.9 (p=0.05;17;23.5%) and African-Americans 2.8 (p=0.03;15;33.3%). TDI scores declined when exposed to allergens in most age groups, genders and races. Younger subjects showed less decline in TDI compared to older subjects. While no significant gender differences were observed for TDI, more males became hyposmic. Asians showed largest average declines in TDI compared to Caucasians and African-Americans. This data suggests that demographic factors may play a role in allergic olfaction impairment, and further study in larger, more diverse populations is warranted.