Introduction:

No culture-specific standardized olfactory tests exist in Morocco as yet. Olfactory problems are frequent in Parkinson disease.

Aim:

To show the feasibility of investigating olfactory impairment using culture-relevant products (indigenous plant extracts) as a preliminary to the creation of a standardized olfactory test.

Method:

Analytical cross-sectional study on a group of 69 patients with Parkinson disease, and a group of 66 healthy volunteers, in order to assess odor threshold, odor identification, and odor discrimination in both groups using Mentha pulegium and Lavandula latifolia extracts.

Results:

We observed an increased mean of odor detection threshold in patients compared to healthy subjects (p<0.001). A significant difference was also found in the ability to discriminate odors; a higher number of patients were unable to distinguish between odors (p<0.001). Regarding the odor identification test, 70% of healthy subjects versus 36% of patients were able to correctly identify the test products. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

Our study points to the potential of using indigenous products - with which patients are familiar - in the elaboration of a standardized smell identification screening battery.

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