Cross-cultural modification of the University of Pennsylvania smell identification test for the Saudi Arabian population: Validation and normative values

Saad Alsaleh; Ahmed Alhussien; Nawaf Alsubaie; Ziyad Alajlan; Sakhar Albader; Ibrahim Alarifi; Hussain Albaharna; Ibrahim Sumaily

doi:10.15537/smj.2024.45.1.20230422

Cross-cultural modification of the University of Pennsylvania smell identification test for the Saudi Arabian population: Validation and normative values

Saudi Med J. 2024 Jan;45(1):79-85. doi: 10.15537/smj.2024.45.1.20230422.

Authors

Saad Alsaleh¹, Ahmed Alhussien¹, Nawaf Alsubaie¹, Ziyad Alajlan¹, Sakhar Albader¹, Ibrahim Alarifi¹, Hussain Albaharna¹, Ibrahim Sumaily¹

Affiliation

¹ From the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Alsaleh, Alhussien, Alsubaie); from the Department of Internal Medicine (Albader), College of Medicine, King Saud University, from the Department of Medical Imaging (Alajlan), King Abdullah bin Abdulziz University Hospital, from the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Unit (Alarifi), Surgery Department, Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Albaharna), Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif, and from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Sumaily), King Fahd Central Hospital, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Objectives: To develop a reliable version of the Saudi Arabian-University of Pennsylvania smell identification test (SA-UPSIT) and to establish normative values for both genders.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on voluntarily recruited normal participants in King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from April 2018 to May 2023. Culture-familiar odors were chosen and the kit was translated into Arabic for the study. The test was modified 3 times in 4 versions. Following this, a random sample was collected to carry out a re-test after 6 weeks.

Results: A total of 288 subjects participated in the development of the SA-UPSIT across all versions, including 146 females and 142 males. The average age of the participants was 28.4±9.9 years. In the final version, 111 participants scored an average of 34.5±2.5 for the total score, 35±2.3 for females, and 34.1±2.6 for males. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.73, indicating acceptable reliability.

Conclusion: The new changes carried out to the SA-UPSIT increased the average scores and demonstrated good reliability, making it clinically applicable for diagnosing and monitoring olfactory dysfunction.

Keywords: Arabs; Saudi Arabia; anosmia; olfaction disorders; olfactory training; paranasal sinuses; sinusitis; smell.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Olfaction Disorders* / diagnosis
Reproducibility of Results
Saudi Arabia
Smell*
Young Adult