The idea of being able to utilize an inexpensive “scratch & sniff” test such as described in Smelling Alzheimer’s & Brain Injury? to obtain early warnings of possible Alzheimer’s onset is certainly intriguing, and work is ongoing. Most recently, a study reported a correlation between development of poor sense of smell and a notably higher incidence of death within 10 years. The mechanism(s) and meaning(s) remain unclear.

Here are two media articles on the work:

Routine sense of smell tests could be used to spot signs of dementia

Poor sense of smell associated with nearly 50 percent higher risk for death in 10 years

Here is the research publication Summary for Patients:

Poor Sense of Smell and Risk for Death in Older Adults

Here are interesting overviews from 2017 and 2018:

Smell Test May Sniff Out Oncoming Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

Can a Smell Test Sniff Out Alzheimer’s Disease?

Here are media articles on several smell-related research reports from 2017:

Sniffing out dementia with a simple smell test

Alzheimer’s could be diagnosed early with sniff tests

Sniffing out dementia with a simple smell test

All links have been added to Alzheimer’s > Diagnosis & Tests.