title: The validity and reliability of the Italian Olfactory Identification Test (IOIT) in healthy subjects and in Parkinson's disease patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Olfactory function can be rapidly evaluated by means of standardized olfactory tests. Multiple-choice smell identification tests can be conditioned by cultural background. To investigate a new tool for detecting olfactory deficit in Italian subjects we developed a multiple-choice identification test prepared with odorants belonging to the Italian culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Italian Olfactory Identification Test (IOIT) was developed with 33 microencapsulated odorants with intensity of odors and headspace Gas Chromatography being tested. Test-retest reliability of the IOIT was evaluated. The IOIT was administered to 511 controls and 133 Parkinson's patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In healthy subjects the number of IOIT errors increased with age for both females (p < 0.0001) and males (p < 0.0001), while in the Parkinson's disease group the number of IOIT errors was significantly greater where compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001 in all age groups). The reference limits applied to all age groups revealed an IOIT sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 99%. The test-retest reliability was excellent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The IOIT is highly reliable, disposable, easy to administer, not fragile, and has a long shelf-life. All these features make the IOIT suitable for clinical use as well as for population screening and to discriminate Parkinson's patients from healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa di Neurologia, Asl 1 Massa Carrara, Carrara, Italy. carlo.maremmani@usl1.toscana.it
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maremmani
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tambasco
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fattori
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pieroni
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramat
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanni
authors.forename: Palma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piersanti
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.forename: Maila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coltelli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Purcaro
authors.forename: Aroldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Calabresi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results