The combined olfactory test in a Chinese population.
OBJECTIVE
To establish an olfactory test in the Hong Kong Chinese population.


METHODS
Prospective analysis of the results of a combined olfactory test (COT) for patients with olfactory dysfunction and for normal subjects attending a secondary and tertiary ear, nose and throat centre.


METHODS
Our COT was based on and modified from the Connecticut Chemosensory Research Centre test. It consisted of an odour identification test involving nine substances and a threshold test using a series of threefold dilutions of 1-butanol. From September 1998 to June 2002, 188 Hong Kong Chinese patients with olfactory dysfunction and subjects with normal olfaction were prospectively recruited. The subjects were categorized into normal, hyposmic and anosmic groups. The olfactory function of the main group of subjects (n = 153) was assessed with the COT by a blinded observer and also quantified with a visual analogue scale; the results were analysed to validate the discriminative ability of the COT. Another subgroup of subjects (n = 35) was tested with the COT twice with a two-week interval to evaluate test-retest reliability.


RESULTS
There were 42 normal, 68 hyposmic and 43 anosmic subjects within the main group (total n = 153). The identification scores, threshold scores and combined olfactory scores were statistically significantly different between the anosmic, hyposmic and normal groups of subjects (p < 0.001). The combined olfactory score correlated with the visual analogue score and the correlation coefficient was 0.56 (p < 0.01). The mean time spent on each COT was 8.6 minutes (standard deviation = 3.4 minutes). The test-retest reliability of the COT was satisfactory, with a one-way model intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.87 (n = 35).


CONCLUSIONS
The satisfactory discriminative ability and test-retest reliability of the COT have been demonstrated in this study. The COT is a feasible method for assessing sense of smell in the Hong Kong Chinese population.
Lam
Henry Chuen Kwong
HC
Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princes of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Sung
John Ka Keung
JK
Abdullah
Victor James
VJ
van Hasselt
Charles Andrew
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*