A new test for qualitative olfactory dysfunction using an extended version of the “Sniffin`Sticks”
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1
University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Germany
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2
Medical University Vienna, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Austria
Introduction: Qualitative olfactory dysfunction (parosmia) represents a common symptom in patients with olfactory disorders. In most cases the hedonic value of the distorted perception is shifted to unpleasant odors. So far the only way to assess parosmia is to ask the patient about their complaints. Therefore, the aim of the study was to create and validate a new test to quantify parosmia.
Material and Methods, Results: The proposed “Sniffin`Sticks Parosmia Test” (SSPT) consists of an extended version of the odor identification test and a set of paired odorants with opposing hedonic values (pleasant vs. unpleasant). During pretesting healthy subjects had to rate the hedonic and intensity of the well-established “Sniffin`Sticks” identification test kit. In this way eight odorants from the established identification test were found to be acceptable for the new test (Table 1). In a further step, 24 additional odorants not included in the “Sniffin`Sticks” were presented in the same way in order to offer a broader range of pleasant and unpleasant odors (Figure 1). For the SSPT those odorants with distinct pleasant or unpleasant hedonic values were selected and are currently being tested in patients suffering from parosmia.
Conclusions: The newly developed test seems to be suited for clinical routine and studies dealing with qualitative olfactory dysfunction.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dimitrios Mintsioglou (University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany) for his help during data acquisition (Study I) and Claudia Valder (Frey & Lau GmbH, Germany) for providing all additional odorants.
Keywords:
Hedonic,
Human olfaction,
Parosmia,
Smell test,
Sniffin`Sticks
Conference:
Human Chemosensation 2010, Dresden, Germany, 2 Dec - 4 Dec, 2010.
Presentation Type:
Presentation
Topic:
Human Chemosensation 2010
Citation:
Renner
B,
Zapf
S,
Esmi
AH,
Esfandeyari
I and
Müller
CA
(2011). A new test for qualitative olfactory dysfunction using an extended version of the “Sniffin`Sticks”.
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
Human Chemosensation 2010.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2011.85.00001
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Received:
26 Jan 2011;
Published Online:
03 May 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Bertold Renner, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Erlangen, Bavaria, 91054, Germany, bertold.renner@tu-dresden.de