Olfactory dysfunction in dementia of Alzheimer's type and vascular dementia

Background:  Olfactory function in vascular dementia has not been extensively investigated to date. We studied olfactory function in vascular dementia (VD) and dementia of Alzheimer's type (DAT). Methods:  We studied olfactory functioning in 12 patients suffering from dementia of Alzheimer's type, 11 patients with vascular dementia and 30 normal subjects. For these subjects we examined a 12-item version of the Pennsylvania smell identification test and mini-mental state examinations. These three groups were matched for age, sex and educational level. Results:  Although the dementia scores were comparable in the DAT and VD groups, the smell identifications were low in DAT patients compared with VD patients and normal control subjects. Conclusions:  These results suggest that the smell identification test may be useful in differential diagnosis between DAT and VD patients