title: [Clinical assessment of olfactory performance - why patient interviews are not enough : A report on lessons learned in planning studies with anosmic patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Olfactory dysfunction and loss of smell are mostly associated with an immense decrease in the quality of life. The aim of the presented study was to report on particularities in the acquisition of patients with olfactory dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  During July 2011 and May 2014 we were contacted by 300 potential patients with self-reported loss of smell, 95 (54 female, 41 male, mean age 53) of which were invited for clinical testing after phone interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical smell testing revealed 46 patients with anosmia, 38 with hyposmia, and 11 with normosmia. Self-assessment of olfactory function only correlated with clinical scores if patients had nearly no olfactory function left. The ability of self-assessment of olfactory function was independent of age or sex. Further, most patients were not able to report on the reason for or the duration of their olfactory dysfunction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our report shows that patients with olfactory dysfunction are hardly ever ably to assess their grade of performance reduction. Awareness among patients with a reduced sense of smell is of great general importance, since it can be an indicator of neurodegenerative diseases. This should especially be noted for patients older than 50 who are not able to indicate a reason for their loss of smell.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Psychologie, Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Österreich, veronika.schoepf@uni-graz.at.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schöpf
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kollndorfer
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index