Smell loss has been reported in more than 50% of older adults. Currently there are no validated methods for classifying patients with smell loss in aging based on either disease site or process. This study aims to better understand how age affects the sense of smell. This study will involve those 50 and older and will take up to 2 years, with 2 follow up annual visits.

The main objective of this project is to develop a quick and efficient screening instrument to accurately identify individuals with olfactory dysfunction (from all causes of olfactory dysfunction). We hope to systematically develop an olfaction screening instrument that is highly correlated to objective olfaction, as currently, this does not exist. Our overall hypothesis is that we can reliably predict an abnormal objective olfaction score using the screening instrument we develop.