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qU-Sniff - the development of a short version of the Universal "Sniffin' Sticks" test
Elisabeth C Lohrer1, Jenny Knipping1, Janine Gellrich2
1Abteilung Neuropädiatrie Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität, Dresden, Germany.
Insights
A new 5-item odor identification test, the quick "U-Sniff" (qU-Sniff), was developed for children. This rapid screening tool effectively identifies olfactory dysfunction in pediatric patients, aiding clinical routine assessments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Olfactory Neuroscience
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Extensive olfactory testing is underutilized in pediatric clinical practice due to its time-consuming nature.
- A need exists for a rapid and reliable method to assess olfactory function in children.
- The 12-item
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a brief, 5-item odor identification test (qU-Sniff) derived from the 12-item
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study included 724 normosmic children (6-17 years) and 17 children with congenital anosmia.
- Test-retest reliability was assessed in 90 healthy participants.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to validate the test's ability to distinguish between anosmic and normosmic individuals.
Main Results:
- The most recognized odors were coffee (98%), peach (95%), flower (90%), fish (88%), and onion (84%).
- Normosmic children scored an average of 4.71 ± 0.62 on the qU-Sniff test.
- The test demonstrated significant correlation with the full 12-item test (r=0.580) and high test-retest reliability (r=0.626). ROC analysis showed high accuracy (AUCs ranging from 0.963 to 0.994) with a cutoff of <4 points distinguishing anosmic from normosmic children.
Conclusions:
- The quick
Objectives:
Extensive olfactory testing is sparsely applied in pediatric patients in clinical routine especially because of its time taking nature. Therefore a 5-item odor identification test (quick "U-Sniff", "qU-Sniff") from the 12-item "U-Sniff" test was developed.
Methods:
A total of 724 normosmic children between 6 and 17 years of age, divided in four age groups, were included in this retrospective study. Additionally, 17 children with congenital anosmia in the same age range were included. To calculate test-retest reliability 90 participants from the healthy group were tested twice.
Results:
The five most correctly identified odors from the 12-item "U-Sniff" test were: coffee (98 %), peach (95 %), flower (90 %), fish (88 %) and onion (84 %). Normosmic participants scored 4.71 ± 0.62 points on the "qU-Sniff" test. A significant correlation between results of the 12-item and 5-item test (n = 724; rs = 0.580; p < 0.001) and a significant test-retest reliability (rs = 0.626, p < 0.001) were shown. For "qU-Sniff" validation a ROC analysis to distinguish between anosmic patients and healthy controls was conducted for each age group separately. AUCs were as followed: i) 0.963 ± 0.018, p < 0,001; ii) 0.978 ± 0.013, p < 0.001; iii) 0.992 ± 0.006, p < 0.001; iv) 0.994 ± 0.005, p < 0.001. The cut-off value to determine anosmic and normosmic participants was <4 points.
Conclusion:
With the "qU-Sniff" test, we present a short screening tool for clinical routine with <4 points as cut-off to initiate more detailed olfactory testing.
