Clinical availability of a self-administered odor questionnaire for patients with olfactory disorders.
OBJECTIVE
This study demonstrated statistical correlations between a novel self-administered odor questionnaire (SAOQ) and other olfaction tests in patients with olfactory disorders, and the usefulness of this questionnaire was discussed.


METHODS
Between December 2004 and November 2009 (5 years), the SAOQ was completed by 405 healthy people without any nasal diseases (Group A) and 539 patients with an olfactory disorder (Group B) at the Department of Otolaryngology, Hyogo College of Medicine. This was a prospective study. The SAOQ proposed by the Japan Rhinology Society is a self-administered survey consisting of 20 smell-related items: "steamed rice, miso, seaweed, soy sauce, baked bread, butter, curry, garlic, orange, strawberry, green tea, coffee, chocolate, household gas, garbage, timber, stercus, sweat, flower, and perfume". The normal reference range of scores (%) of the SAOQ was calculated in Group A. To determine whether the results of the SAOQ were correlated with those of visual analogue scale (VAS) and T&T olfactometer, pre- and post-treatment results of the SAOQ and olfaction tests were analyzed.


RESULTS
The questionnaire response rates were 99.5% (403/405 people) in Group A and 95.9% (517/539 patients) in Group B. The statistically normal reference level of the SAOQ was determined as more than 70%. In Group B, the mean pre-treatment SAOQ score (20.4%), VAS score (16.5%), and T&T recognition threshold (5.0) significantly improved to values of 46.7%, 41.1%, and 4.1 after treatments, respectively (n=249). Both pre- and post-treatment SAOQ scores (ΔQ) had statistically significant relationships with those of VAS and T&T (n=249).


CONCLUSIONS
The utility of the SAOQ as an easy method of estimating olfaction was suggested.
Takebayashi
Hironori
H
Department of Otolaryngology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.
Tsuzuki
Kenzo
K
Oka
Hideki
H
Fukazawa
Keijiro
K
Daimon
Takashi
T
Sakagami
Masafumi
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires