Olfactory function assessment of migraine patients by using the Sniffin' sticks test: A clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: This as a cross-sectional controlled clinical study. We hypothesis that the olfactory functions in migraine patients may differ from the healthy controls. In this study, we evaluated the olfactory functions by using a Sniffin' Sticks test battery, which is a reliable and semi quantitative test to evaluate for olfactory dysfunction. METHODS: Patients above 18 years of age who had migraine received a definitive diagnosis of migraine from experienced headache specialists based on the criteria of The International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 were included. Odor threshold, discrimination, and identification parameters were assessed using the "Sniffin' Sticks" test. RESULTS: One-hundred and one migraine patients (age [mean ± SD], 36.9 ± 10.4 years; range, 18-60 years) and sixty healthy volunteers (age 34.5 ± 13.2 years, range 18-65 years) participated in our study. The median odor threshold score [percentiles 25th-75th] was 8.3 [6.5-9.8] for the migraine group during attack free period and 4.5[3.6-6.0] for the control group. It was found that the migraine group had a median odor discrimination score of 10.0 [10.0-13.0] and the control group 12.0 [11.0-13.0]. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001 and p = 0.032 respectively). The median odor discrimination and identification scores were statistically significant higher for the participants with higher educational level group than in those of lower educational group (p < 0.0001). The median odor discrimination and identification scores of those without allodynia (12.0 [10.0-14.0] and 13.0 [10.0-13.0] respectively) were higher than that of those with allodynia (11.0 [9.0-12.0] and 11.0 [10.0-13.0] respectively) (p = 0.037 and p = 0.034 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the odor thresholds, discrimination and identification scores of the migraine group demonstrate differences from those of the healthy group and in relation to allodynia.

The Influence of Cognitive Parameters on Olfactory Assessment in Healthy Children and Adolescents.

Olfactory threshold and odor identification tests are frequently used for assessment of olfactory function in children and adolescents. Whether olfactory test results are influenced by cognitive parameters or sex in children and adolescents is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of cognition, age and sex on "Sniffin' Sticks" olfactory threshold and "U-Sniff" odor identification performance in a pediatric population. A total of 200 participants between age 6 and 17 years were included. Olfactory function (olfactory threshold and odor identification) was assessed using the "Sniffin' Sticks." In addition, age appropriate cognitive testing was applied. The results of this study indicate that odor identification test performance is positively correlated with age (r = 0.31) and verbal abilities of children (r = 0.24). Olfactory threshold results are only marginally influenced by age (r = 0.18) and are not associated with cognitive test performance. Olfactory assessment using olfactory threshold and "U-Sniff" odor identification testing is suitable for children and adolescents when considering age in the interpretation of test results.

Clinical Usefulness of Self-Rated Olfactory Performance-A Data Science-Based Assessment of 6000 Patients.

In clinical practice, with its time constraints, a frequent conclusion is that asking about the ability to smell may suffice to detect olfactory problems. To address this question systematically, 6049 subjects were asked about how well they can perceive odors, with 5 possible responses. Participants presented at a University Department of Otorhinolaryngology, where olfactory testing was part of the routine investigation performed in patients receiving surgery at the clinic (for various reasons). According to an odor identification test, 1227 subjects had functional anosmia and 3113 were labeled with normosmia. Measures of laboratory test performance were used to assess the success of self-estimates to capture the olfactory diagnosis. Ratings of the olfactory function as absent or impaired provided the diagnosis of anosmia at a balanced accuracy of 79%, whereas ratings of good or excellent indicated normosmia at a balanced accuracy of 64.6%. The number of incorrect judgments of anosmia increased with age, whereas false negative self-estimates of normosmia became rarer with increasing age. The subject's sex was irrelevant in this context. Thus, when asking the question "How well can you smell odors?" and querying standardized responses, fairly accurate information can be obtained about whether or not the subject can smell. However, this has to be completed with the almost 30% (355 subjects) of anosmic patients who judged their ability to smell as at least "average." Thus, olfactory testing using reliable and validated tests appears indispensable.

The identification and health risk assessment of odor emissions from waste landfilling and composting.

Odor nuisance is the main incentive for Not In My Back Yard campaigns around municipal solid waste (MSW) waste disposal facilities, and the odor identification is of significance for the understanding of the odor properties from MSW with different disposal methods. In this study, odor emissions from different stages at two large-scale working MSW disposal facilities, i.e., landfill (LF) and compost plant (CP), were distinguished with the same MSW feedstock in one city. It was found that CP suffered the heavier odor pollution and the characteristics of odorants changed significantly, especially the pile-turning workshop. Sulfides and aromatics were the main concentration contributors for LF, while that for CP were NH3 and oxygenated compounds. Significant correlations between odor concentration and halogenated compounds, sulfides (r2 = 0.945, 0.898, p<0.05, n = 12) were merely observed in CP. The priority odor pollutants of LF were H2S, benzene and NH3, while that of CP was NH3, ethyl acetate and benzene with a descending order. With regarding to their contributions for occupational exposure, the carcinogenic risk was negligible for these facilities, but H2S of LF might bring non-carcinogenic risk to on-site workers.

How olfactory acuity affects the sensory assessment of boar fat: a proposal for quantification.

Due to animal welfare concerns the production of entire male pigs is one viable alternative to surgical castration. Elevated levels of boar taint may, however, impair consumer acceptance. Due to the lack of technical methods, control of boar taint is currently done using sensory quality control. While the need for control measures with respect to boar taint has been clearly stated in EU legislation, no specific requirements for selecting assessors have yet been documented. This study proposes tests for the psychophysical evaluation of olfactory acuity to key volatiles contributing to boar taint. Odor detection thresholds for androstenone and skatole are assessed as well as the subject's ability to identify odorants at various levels through easy-to-use paper smell strips. Subsequently, fat samples are rated by the assessors, and the accuracy of boar taint evaluation is studied. Considerable variation of olfactory performance is observed demonstrating the need for objective criteria to select assessors.