title: Smell perception in normal tension glaucoma patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to quantify the ability to identify odors in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) patients and healthy subjects with and without a primary vascular dysregulation (PVD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Both self-assessment of smell perception and evaluation of odor identification by means of the 12-item odor identification test ("Sniffin' Sticks") were performed in the following groups of subjects: 1) 18 NTG patients with PVD (G+), 2) 18 NTG patients without PVD (G-), 3) 18 healthy subjects with PVD (H(+)) and 4) 18 healthy subjects without PVD (H-). The subjects self-assessment of smell perception was evaluated before the Sniffin' Sticks test by asking them to judge their ability to identify odors as either "average," "better than average," or "worse than average."
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects with a PVD (G+ and H(+)) can identify odors significantly better than those without a PVD (G- and H-; in a score scale of 1-12 the score point difference=2.64, 95% CI=1.88-3.40, p<0.001). No significant differences in odor identification was found between NTG (groups G+ and G-) and healthy subjects (groups H(+) and H-; score point difference=-0.14, 95% CI=-0.9-0.62, p=0.72).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjects with a PVD can identify odors significantly better than those without a PVD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maneli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mozaffarieh
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hauenstein
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schoetzau
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konieczka
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flammer
mesh_terms: D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057066:Low Tension Glaucoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055696:Olfactory Perception / Q000502:physiology*