Alcohol Sniff Test (AST) : An Important Tool for Screening Post-Viral Olfactory Loss in Acute Flu-Like Dysfunction

© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law..

Olfactory disorders have a significant impact on patients' quality of life but are often underestimated in clinical practice. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are a common cause of olfactory loss. While most cases of olfactory loss due to URTIs are conductive and reversible, post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) persists despite symptom improvement. PVOD is attributed to damage to the olfactory epithelium and nerves or central olfactory pathway lesions. The Alcohol Sniff Test (AST) has been proposed as a tool to assess olfactory function in the acute phase and aid in differentiating PVOD from conductive disorders. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the AST as a predictor of post-viral olfactory loss in patients with flu-like syndrome. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted among employees with flu-like syndrome at a tertiary hospital. Three groups were formed: flu-like syndrome with conductive disorder without COVID-19 (PVOD-), flu-like syndrome with neurosensory and/or central disorder due to COVID-19 (PVOD +), and an asymptomatic control group. The Alcohol Sniff Test was performed to assess olfactory function. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate the AST's performance. For a cut off of 10 cm, 88.57% of PVOD + patients and 60.53% of PVOD - patients showed AST alteration, respectively (p = 0.013, OR = 5.05, 95% CI [1.48-17.25]). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean distance between the PVOD + group (4.35 ± 4.1 cm) and the control group (20 ± 4.33 cm) (p < 0.05). This relationship was also observed between the PVOD + and PVOD- groups (9 cm ± 7.5) (p < 0.05) and between the PVOD- and control groups (p < 0.05). For a cut off of 10 cm, the AST showed a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 41%, resulting in an Odds Ratio of 9.7 (95% CI 3.3-28.1) (p < 0.001) and a Positive Predictive Value of 69.4% for PVOD. PVOD, including cases associated with COVID-19, is a prevalent cause of olfactory loss. The Alcohol Sniff Test demonstrated promising results in identifying PVOD in patients with flu-like syndrome. The test's simplicity and accessibility make it a valuable tool for early screening and identifying individuals who may benefit from prompt treatment. The Alcohol Sniff Test (AST) shows potential as an effective tool for screening post-viral olfactory loss in patients with flu-like syndrome. It can aid in early identification of PVOD cases and facilitate timely interventions to reduce the likelihood of persistent hyposmia.

Medienart:	E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:	2024
Erschienen:	2024

Enthalten in:	Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:76
Enthalten in:	Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India - 76(2024), 1 vom: 28. Feb., Seite 604-610

Sprache:	Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:	Modesto, Domenico Seabra [VerfasserIn] Silva Neto, Hugo Machado [VerfasserIn] Leão, Felipe Carvalho [VerfasserIn] Mendes Neto, José Arruda [VerfasserIn] Suzuki, Fábio Akira [VerfasserIn]

Links:	Volltext

Themen:	Acute flu Alcohol sniff test Conductive anosmia Journal Article Olfactory dysfunction Sensory anosmia

Anmerkungen:	Date Revised 06.03.2024 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:	10.1007/s12070-023-04224-z

funding:
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PPN (Katalog-ID):	NLM369304918