OLFACTORY DEFICITS IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SEVERE POLYDIPSIA

Background: The present study was designed to assess olfactory functio n in severely polydipsic/hyponatremic patients with schizophrenia who also had intermittent water intoxication. Methods: The University of P ennsylvania Smell Identification Test and an olfactory acuity battery were administered to three groups of male subjects: 9 patients with sc hizophrenia and severe polydipsia/hyponatremia, 9 control nonpolydipsi c/normonatremic patients with schizophrenia, and 9 normal controls. Re sults: Male patients with severe polydipsia/hyponatremia and intermitt ent water intoxication had marked olfactory acuity and identification deficits when compared to the patient control group of similar age and age at illness onset, and to normal controls. Conclusions: The findin g of deficient acuity (detection threshold) in the polydipsic/hyponatr emic group but not the nonpolydipsic, normonatremic group suggests tha t for this subgroup abnormalities of olfactory sensory function may oc cur in a pattern previously reported for other brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. (C) 1998 Society of Biological Psychiatry.