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Applicability of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (SIT) in Brazilians: pilot study
Marco Aurélio Fornazieri1, Fábio de Rezende Pinna, Thiago Freire Pinto Bezerra
1Clinic Hospital, Sao Paulo University, Brazil. arcofornazieri@gmail.com
Unlabelled:
The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (SIT) is the most cited olfactory test in the literature because it is easy to perform and there is high test-retest reliability. There were no standardized olfaction values in a normal Brazilian population.
Aim:
To measure the SIT score in a group of Brazilians, and to assess the level of difficulty when implementing the test.
Study Design:
A cross-sectional study.
Materials And Methods:
The SIT was applied in 25 Brazilian volunteers of various income levels who presented no olfactory complaints. Following the test, subjects answered a questionnaire with a visual analog scale (VAS) for the level of difficulty.
Results:
The mean in the sample of Brazilians was 32.5 (SD: 3.48) our of 40; this is below what is considered normal for US citizens. The level of difficulty was on average 26 mm (SD: 24.68) in the VAS, but it trended towards easy; 4(16%) participants did not recognize some of the odors under 'alternatives'.
Conclusion:
In this pilot study, there was evidence of good test applicability; the score of the sample of Brazilians was just below normosmia. Further studies are needed to confirm the existence of differences between people of different income levels.
