Accurate detection of parkinson's disease in tremor syndromes using olfactory testing
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Background/Aims: The diagnostic value of olfactory testing for the discrimination of tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (PD) from other tremor disorders remains enigmatic. We evaluated whether olfactory testing can accurately detect PD in tremor patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 299 consecutive subjects referred for the differential diagnosis of a tremor disorder was done. Olfactory testing was performed using 'Sniffin' Sticks', resulting in a composite TDI score of odor threshold (T), discrimination (D), and identification (I). Receiver operating curve (ROC) plots were used to calculate sensitivity/specificity for the detection of PD. Results: Of all subjects, 167 (55.9%) had PD and 85 (28.4%) had essential tremor (ET). The mean TDI score in PD was significantly reduced compared to those in ET and other tremor disorders with no differences between ET and other tremor disorders. ROC analysis revealed strong correlations of TDI scores with PD [area under the curve: 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80-0.89); p < 0.001]. The highest Youden index was observed for a TDI score <25 (Youden index: 0.58). Using this cutoff score and that generated from normative data of healthy controls, the TDI score provided high sensitivity (negative predictive value) and specificity (positive predictive value) of approximately 80% for detecting PD. Conclusion: Olfactory testing is a useful, easily applied and inexpensive diagnostic test which is helpful to detect PD among tremor patients.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-6 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | European neurology |
Volume | 72 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2014 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 24776998 |
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ORCID | /0000-0003-1311-8000/work/164198858 |
ORCID | /0000-0001-9713-0183/work/164199188 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Essential tremor, Olfactory testing, Parkinson's disease, Tremor