Visual Analog Scale and Olfactory Objective Tests in Hyposmia Patients: Is There a Link?

Sousa-Machado, André; Sousa, Francisco Alves de; Silva, Ana; Meireles, Luís

Publication

Visual Analog Scale and Olfactory Objective Tests in Hyposmia Patients: Is There a Link?

2023-02Journal article

dc.contributor.author	Sousa-Machado, André
dc.contributor.author	Sousa, Francisco Alves de
dc.contributor.author	Silva, Ana
dc.contributor.author	Meireles, Luís
dc.date.accessioned	2024-06-18T08:50:29Z
dc.date.available	2024-06-18T08:50:29Z
dc.date.issued	2023-02
dc.description.abstract	Introduction Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is often a devaluated sensorial affection. The objective evaluation of this dysfunction does not evaluate its compromise in patients' daily life. It is unclear to what extent there is a correlation between the objective evaluation of OD and patient-reported impairment. Objective We aim to search if Sniffin Sticks® correlates with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of Hyposmia Symptoms, and therefore if it is a useful method for clinical use. Methods A prospective study was carried out to evaluate and compare consecutive patients who had olfactory impairment due to COVID-19 that were referred to an otolaryngology office. The variables evaluated were gender, age, co-morbidities, and olfactory thresholds (measured according to Sniffin Sticks®). Patients were also enquired about their sense of impairment according to VAS from 1 (worst possible) to 10 (best possible). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics 26). Normal distribution was checked using both skewness and kurtosis and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests. Pearson correlation test was used to seek a correlation between VAS and olfactory thresholds. All reported p-values are two-tailed, with a p-value ≤ 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results Our sample of 47 patients was composed of 30 females (63.8%) and 17 females (36.2%). We found a mean variation between olfactory thresholds before and after the intervention of 3.91±2.466, and an average improvement of 2.29±2.93 in the visual analog scale for subjective evaluation of olfactory impairment. According to the Pearson correlation test, with 95% confidence, there is evidence to claim a moderate association (0.512) between an improvement in olfactory thresholds and VAS (p=0.05). Conclusions There was a moderate correlation between ratings and measures of olfactory function. On an individual basis, there were remarkable differences between measures and ratings of olfactory function. VAS should be considered in the evaluation of the hyposmic patient, due to its simplicity and quick applicability.	pt_PT
dc.description.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	pt_PT
dc.identifier.citation	De Sousa Machado A, Sousa F, Silva A, Meireles L. Visual Analog Scale and Olfactory Objective Tests in Hyposmia Patients: Is There a Link?. Cureus. 2023;15(2):e34712. doi:10.7759/cureus.34712	pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi	10.7759/cureus.34712	pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn	2168-8184
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.16/2944
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	yes	pt_PT
dc.publisher	Cureus, Inc.	pt_PT
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://www.cureus.com/articles/129818-visual-analog-scale-and-olfactory-objective-tests-in-hyposmia-patients-is-there-a-link#!/	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	covid	pt_PT
dc.subject	loss of smell	pt_PT
dc.subject	patient-reported outcome measure	pt_PT
dc.subject	rhinology	pt_PT
dc.subject	visual analog scale (vas)	pt_PT
dc.title	Visual Analog Scale and Olfactory Objective Tests in Hyposmia Patients: Is There a Link?	pt_PT
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	United States of America	pt_PT
oaire.citation.issue	2	pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage	e34712	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Cureus	pt_PT
oaire.citation.volume	15	pt_PT
person.familyName	Sousa-Machado
person.familyName	Sousa
person.givenName	André
person.givenName	Francisco Alves de
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-8877-8014
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0003-4113-3259
person.identifier.rid	HIR-6257-2022
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	article	pt_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	c0f5906f-a70f-4f92-81af-842a6e8e46db
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	6d0cf218-638a-4b17-8bdf-30203de52429
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	c0f5906f-a70f-4f92-81af-842a6e8e46db