Diagnostic value of the impairment of olfaction in Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Olfactory impairment is increasingly recognized as an early symptom in the development of Parkinson's disease. Testing olfactory function is a non-invasive method but can be time-consuming which restricts its application in clinical settings and epidemiological studies. Here, we investigate odor identification as a supportive diagnostic tool for Parkinson's disease and estimate the performance of odor subsets to allow a more rapid testing of olfactory impairment.

Methodology/principal findings

Odor identification was assessed with 16 Sniffin' sticks in 148 Parkinson patients and 148 healthy controls. Risks of olfactory impairment were estimated with proportional odds models. Random forests were applied to classify Parkinson and non-Parkinson patients. Parkinson pa

SUBMITTER: Casjens S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3655992 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature