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Olfactory dysfunction: properties of the Sniffin’ Sticks Screening 12 test and associations with quality of life

  • Rhinology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

The Sniffin’ Sticks Screening 12 test is a test of olfactory performance based on pen-like odor dispensing devices. The aims of this study were to analyze the performance of this test in a general population sample and to explore associations between olfactory dysfunction and quality of life.

Methods

A large community sample (n = 7267) completed the Sniffin’ Sticks Screening 12 test and several questionnaires measuring quality of life, anxiety, dispositional optimism, social support, and satisfaction with life.

Results

According to the criteria recommended by the test manufacturer, 5.1% of the participants were anosmic (score ≤ 6), 52.4% were dysosmic (7 ≤ score ≤ 10), and 42.5% were normosmic (score ≥ 11). While frequencies of correct identification differed between the 12 sticks, all sticks contributed positively to the test results. The associations between olfactory functioning and quality of life variables were negligible. In the multivariate analyses, none of the associations reached the 1% significance level.

Conclusions

While studies with patients in otorhinolaryngological clinics often report substantial detriments to their quality of life in relation to olfactory dysfunction, the present epidemiological study cannot confirm this association for the general population.

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Funding

This publication was supported by LIFE—Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, an organizational unit affiliated to the Medical faculty of the University of Leipzig. LIFE was funded by means of the European Union, by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by funds of the Free State of Saxony within the excellence initiative (project numbers 713-241202, 14505/2470, 14575/2470).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Str. 55, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Andreas Hinz

  2. Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Institute of Social Medicine, Rehabilitation Sciences and Healthcare Research, University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen, Nordhausen, Germany

    Tobias Luck

  3. Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Tobias Luck & Steffi G. Riedel-Heller

  4. Personality Psychology and Psychological Assessment, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University of the Federal Armed Forces, Hamburg, Germany

    Philipp Y. Herzberg

  5. Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Claudia Rolffs & Christoph Engel

  6. Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Diseases, LIFE, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Tobias Luck, Steffi G. Riedel-Heller, Claudia Rolffs, Kerstin Wirkner & Christoph Engel

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  1. Andreas Hinz
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  2. Tobias Luck
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Correspondence to Andreas Hinz.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Leipzig, Germany, and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Hinz, A., Luck, T., Riedel-Heller, S.G. et al. Olfactory dysfunction: properties of the Sniffin’ Sticks Screening 12 test and associations with quality of life. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 276, 389–395 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-018-5210-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-018-5210-2

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