Skip to main content
Top
Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology 2/2022

Open Access 01-02-2022 | Smelling Disorder | Rhinology

q-Powders: a quick test for screening retronasal olfactory disorders with tasteless powders

Authors: Michal Pieniak, Anna Oleszkiewicz, Marie Klockow, Ayaho Yoshino, Antje Haehner, Thomas Hummel

Published in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology | Issue 2/2022

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the clinical utility of q-Powders—a retronasal identification screening test.

Methods

A total of 156 subjects (92 females, mean age: 54.5 years ± 17.3 years) completed a 3-item q-Powders retronasal identification test and a 16-items Sniffin’ Sticks orthonasal identification test. We analyzed whether the q-Powders test could differentiate between subjects with normosmia and subjects with an olfactory disorder.

Results

Our data indicated that subjects with an olfactory disorder scored lower in the q-Powders test than subjects with normosmia. The analyses revealed q-Powders test sensitivity of 84% and a test specificity of 64.9% with a score of 2 points taken as a cutoff for olfactory disorders.

Conclusion

The 3-item q-Powders retronasal test may be used for screening purposes in clinical research.

Level of evidence

4
Literature
3.
go back to reference Hummel T, Sekinger B, Wolf SR, Pauli E, Kobal G (1997) ‘Sniffin’ Sticks’: olfactory performance assessed by the combined testing of odor identification, odor discrimination and olfactory threshold. Chem Senses 22(1):39–52CrossRef Hummel T, Sekinger B, Wolf SR, Pauli E, Kobal G (1997) ‘Sniffin’ Sticks’: olfactory performance assessed by the combined testing of odor identification, odor discrimination and olfactory threshold. Chem Senses 22(1):39–52CrossRef
Metadata
Title
q-Powders: a quick test for screening retronasal olfactory disorders with tasteless powders
Authors
Michal Pieniak
Anna Oleszkiewicz
Marie Klockow
Ayaho Yoshino
Antje Haehner
Thomas Hummel
Publication date
01-02-2022
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology / Issue 2/2022
Print ISSN: 0937-4477
Electronic ISSN: 1434-4726
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-06849-8

Other articles of this Issue 2/2022

European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology 2/2022 Go to the issue