The sniffing bead system, an olfactory dysfunction screening tool for geriatric subjects: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to develop a simple and one-off olfactory screening test, the sniffing bead system, for general clinical use in older adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, geriatric subjects (aged >50years) who underwent neurocognitive and olfactory function tests were included. Overall, 137 subjects were enrolled, and the study was conducted at Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea. Olfactory function was measured by obtaining the scores of the sniffing bead system using 2-phenylethyl alcohol, n-butanol, and the YSK olfactory function test. Time taken for each olfactory function test was also measured. Results: The score of the 2-phenylethyl alcohol sniffing bead test was 2.581.52, which was significantly associated with the YSK_threshold (2.41 +/- 1.79) (p<0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.429), YSK_identification (8.93<plus/minus>3.25) (p=0.014, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.208) and YSK_threshold-discrimination-identification (17.46 +/- 5.49) (p<0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.316) test scores. In the normal cognitive function group, YSK_threshold (p<0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.479), YSK_identification (p=0.003, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.316), and YSK_threshold-discrimination-identification (p<0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.429) were significantly correlated with the scores of the 2-phenylethyl alcohol sniffing bead system. In the impaired cognitive function group, the YSK_threshold (p=0.002, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.415) and YSK_ threshold-discrimination-identification (p=0.004, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.385) were significantly correlated with the scores of the 2-phenylethyl alcohol sniffing bead system. Time taken for the 2-phenylethyl alcohol sniffing bead system was 5.00<plus/minus>1.51min, which was significantly lower than that for the YSK_threshold-discrimination-identification (20.43 +/- 5.29min) (p<0.001). The scores of the 2-phenylethyl alcohol sniffing bead system were significantly correlated with those of the n-butanol sniffing bead system (3.50<plus/minus>1.21) (p<0.001, Pearson's correlation coefficient=0.315). Conclusions: This sniffing bead system was specifically designed for screening olfactory function in older adults, and it may allow for the rapid and accurate assessment of olfactory dysfunction.