Validation of the Olfato-UP olfactory test for the Brazilian population

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Olfato-Up test in adults and elderly individuals from the Brazilian population. METHODS: The study was conducted in three stages. The first phase evaluated the population's familiarity with the chosen scents. The second phase assessed the performance of the Olfato-Up test, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and cut-off determination. The third phase evaluated the test's reproducibility and the time required for its application. RESULTS: All fragrances met the minimum accuracy requirements for the normosmic population. The cut-off score for anosmia and severe hyposmia was 7, with a sensitivity of 88.2%, specificity of 86.6%, accuracy of 86.7%, and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 90.7% for anosmia. For severe hyposmia, the sensitivity was 70.2%, specificity was 96%, accuracy was 89.8%, and the AUC was 90.1%. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.89. The Pearson correlation test revealed a correlation coefficient ofr = 0.811 (p = 0.001) and Bland-Altman test indicated a mean difference of -0.18 (95% CI -1.68 to 1.32). The average application time was 3.8 min (SD = 0.79). CONCLUSION: Olfato-Up test demonstrated excellent reproducibility, a short application time, and high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting anosmia and severe hyposmia.