Olfactory Dysfunction in Chagas’ Disease (P3.027)

OBJECTIVE: To determine if olfactory deficits are present in the indeterminate phase of Chagas’ Disease (ChD), a prevalent disorder in Latin America. BACKGROUND: The acute form of ChD is usually unnoticed. It is followed by an indeterminate and asymptomatic phase. The chronic form is characterized by cardiovascular and gastrointestinal abnormalities. Cholinergic dysfunction has been found at all clinical stages of ChD. Smell dysfunction is a sensitive indicator of cholinergic abnormalities in a number of neurodegenerative diseases in their earliest stages. DESIGN/METHODS: Case control study. Sixty patients with the indeterminate form of ChD and sixty healthy age- and sex-matched controls were studied. The Spanish version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) was administered. Each stimulus was released in a standardized manner using a pencil tip and placed under the subject9s nose. Heart rate was also calculated before and after (10 s) a fast dynamic exercise. RESULTS: The UPSIT scores of the ChD patients were much lower than those of their matched normal controls (p< 0.05). Smell dysfunction was present in both ChD patients with normal and abnormal heart rates. CONCLUSIONS: The olfactory dysfunction found in the indeterminate phase of ChD supports the hypothesis that cholinergic dysfunction is a key and early element of the disease and further supports the hypothesis that such dysfunction may underlie olfactory loss seen in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, our findings suggest that smell testing may be a sensitive and inexpensive early quantitative probe of the cholinergic dysfunction in the indeterminate phase of ChD when therapeutic interventions could prevent or delay further disease progression. Study Supported by: DOD W81XWH-09-1-0467. Disclosure: Dr. Leon-Sarmiento has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bayona has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rizzo-Sierra has nothing to disclose. Dr. Garavito has nothing to disclose. Dr. Campos has nothing to disclose. Dr. Doty has received personal compensation for activities with Sensonics, Inc. Adams & Adams, Christopher Abdoney, Clancy & Stevens, Columbia University, Federal Defenders, Middle Dist. Alabama, Lathrop & Gage LLP, Merck, Murphy-Brown LLC, National Institutes of Health, Rothshild Wishek & Sands LLP, Pfizer, Inc, Sensonics, Inc., TASA Group, Western Medical Assessments, and Young, Conway, Stargatt & Taylor. Dr. Doty holds stock and/or stock options in Sensonics, Inc., which sponsored research in which Dr. Doty was involved as an investigator.