A rapid and connected test for olfactory loss screening

INTRODUCTION: Despite their widespread prevalence and deleterious consequences, olfactory disorders remain little evaluated in clinical practice and neuroscientific studies, due to the lack of early, quick and reliable detection tools. To meet this demand, we developed a new connected olfactory test and evaluated its ability to discriminate dysosmia (i.e., altered sense of smell) from normosmia. METHODS: The Olfactory Screening with Connected And Rapid Detection test (OS-card, version 1.0) consisted of 8 RFID-equipped scratch-and-sniff cards interfaced with a dedicated mobile application. In this test, each micro-encapsulated odor is rated for perceived intensity on a 5-point scale and identified using a 4-alternative forced-choice procedure. The olfactory abilities of two matched samples of 25 normosmic and 25 dysosmic participants were evaluated using the OS-card 1.0 and two reference tests: the European Test for Olfactory Capabilities ETOC and the identification subtest of the Sniffin' Sticks. RESULTS: Intensity and identification OS-card scores were significantly lower in dysosmics than in normosmics. OS-card was easy to use and took less than 10 minutes to complete. OS-card scores were well correlated with ETOC scores and Sniffin' Sticks scores. According to a cross-validation approach using olfactory status categories provided by the ETOC, it was found that OS-card correctly classified 100% of the normosmic participants, 68% of the dysosmics (hyposmics and anosmics together), and 96% of the anosmics. CONCLUSION: OS-card is user friendly, rapid and reliable for detecting severe smell disorders (anosmia).