Olfactory testing differentiates between progressive supranuclear palsy and idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction occurs in most patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we sought to determine whether such dysfunction is also present in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a condition which shares a number of motor symptoms with PD and is commonly misdiagnosed as PD. We administered the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, a standardized test of odor identification ability, to 21 PSP patients; 17 also received a forced-choice odor detection threshold test. We compared the olfactory test scores to those obtained from PD patients and normal controls matched to the PSP patients on the basis of age, sex, and smoking habits. Overall, the olfactory function of the PSP patients was markedly superior to that of the PD patients and did not differ significantly from that of the normal controls. There was no association in either the PSP or PD patient groups between (1) the olfactory test scores and (2) measures of motor symptom severity, disease stage, and medication usage. These findings demonstrate that patients with PSP and PD differ markedly in their ability to smell and suggest that olfactory testing may be useful in their differential diagnosis.