Proof-of-concept: SCENTinel 1.1 rapidly discriminates COVID-19 related olfactory disorders

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Otorhinolaryngology
• Public Health

Background:

• COVID-19 is linked to a high prevalence of olfactory dysfunction, affecting 20-67% of cases.
• Current methods for assessing smell disorders lack rapid, population-wide screening capabilities.
• Distinguishing between quantitative (anosmia, hyposmia) and qualitative (parosmia, phantosmia) olfactory disorders is clinically significant.

Approach:

• SCENTinel 1.1, a novel, mail-delivered olfactory test, was developed to assess odor detection, intensity, identification, and pleasantness.
• 381 participants were categorized into normosmia, quantitative olfactory disorder, and qualitative olfactory disorder groups based on self-reported smell function.
• The test utilized four distinct odors for evaluation.

Key Points:

• SCENTinel 1.1 demonstrated high accuracy in discriminating between normosmia, quantitative olfactory disorders, and qualitative olfactory disorders.
• The test successfully differentiated individual olfactory conditions, including anosmia, hyposmia, and parosmia.
• Participants with parosmia reported significantly lower pleasantness ratings for common odors.

Conclusions:

• SCENTinel 1.1 serves as a proof-of-concept for a rapid, cost-effective olfactory screening tool.
• This test can effectively discriminate between various types of olfactory dysfunction, including quantitative and qualitative disorders.
• SCENTinel 1.1 is the first direct test capable of rapidly identifying parosmia.