파킨슨병에서 T & T Olfactometer를 이용한 후각기능장애 연구

Studies on The Olfactory Dysfunction by T & T Olfactometer in Paridnson’s Disease

Background & Objectives: Several neurological conditions have been reported to be associated with deficits of olfactory system, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. The aimof this study was to evaluate the olfactory function and, the difference between subtypes and severity in Parkinson s disease (PD). Method: We measured the odor identification ability by T&T olfactometer (Takasago international Co). We compared olfactometer score between control group (25 sex and age matched healthy persons) and patient group (26 patients with PD). The patients were divided into two subgroups according to severity (benign PD & malignant PD) and subtype (tremor-predominant PD & bradykinesia-predominant PD). We analyzed the following potential factors influencing olfaction in PD; age, genders, duration o f symptom , age o f onset. Results: 1. O lfactory score o f patient group w as significantly higher than that of control group (p<0.001). 2. Olfactory score was significantly conversely related to severity (malignant)(p<0.01), subtype(bradykinesia dominant type) and H-Y staging(p<0.01)，gender(p<0.09). 3. However, olfactory score was not related to age, duration of symptom, age of onset (p>0.05). Conclusions: Impaired olfaction was observed in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Olfactory damage in PD is severe consistently and may provide some clues in the early diagnosis.