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World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology -... Mar 2018Lingual branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN Ⅸ) are at risk of injury during tonsillectomy due to their proximity to the muscle layer of the palatine tonsillar... (Review)
Review
Lingual branches of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN Ⅸ) are at risk of injury during tonsillectomy due to their proximity to the muscle layer of the palatine tonsillar bed. However, it is unclear how often this common surgery leads to taste disturbances. We conducted a literature search using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, PsychInfo, and Ovid Medline to evaluate the available literature on post-tonsillectomy taste disorders. Studies denoting self-reported dysfunction, as well as those employing quantitative testing, i.e., chemogustometry and electrogustometry, were identified. Case reports were excluded. Of the 8 original articles that met our inclusion criteria, only 5 employed quantitative taste tests. The highest prevalence of self-reported taste disturbances occurred two weeks after surgery (32%). Two studies reported post-operative chemical gustometry scores consistent with hypogeusia. However, in the two studies that compared pre- and post-tonsillectomy test scores, one found no difference and the other found a significant difference only for the left rear of the tongue 14 days post-op. In the two studies that employed electrogustometry, elevated post-operative thresholds were noted, although only one compared pre- and post-operative thresholds. This study found no significant differences. No study employed a normal control group to assess the influences of repeated testing on the sensory measures. Overall, this review indicates that studies on post-tonsillectomy taste disorders are limited and ambiguous. Future research employing appropriate control groups and taste testing procedures are needed to define the prevalence, duration, and nature of post-tonsillectomy taste disorders.
PubMed: 30035265
DOI: 10.1016/j.wjorl.2018.02.008 -
International Forum of Allergy &... Sep 2020
Review
Topics: Ageusia; Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Humans; Olfaction Disorders; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 32342636
DOI: 10.1002/alr.22593 -
JMIR Medical Informatics Nov 2022The COVID-19 disease has multiple symptoms, with anosmia and ageusia being the most prevalent, varying from 75% to 95% and from 50% to 80% of infected patients,...
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 disease has multiple symptoms, with anosmia and ageusia being the most prevalent, varying from 75% to 95% and from 50% to 80% of infected patients, respectively. An automatic assessment tool for these symptoms will help monitor the disease in a fast and noninvasive manner.
OBJECTIVE
We hypothesized that people with COVID-19 experiencing anosmia and ageusia had different voice features than those without such symptoms. Our objective was to develop an artificial intelligence pipeline to identify and internally validate a vocal biomarker of these symptoms for remotely monitoring them.
METHODS
This study used population-based data. Participants were assessed daily through a web-based questionnaire and asked to register 2 different types of voice recordings. They were adults (aged >18 years) who were confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction test to be positive for COVID-19 in Luxembourg and met the inclusion criteria. Statistical methods such as recursive feature elimination for dimensionality reduction, multiple statistical learning methods, and hypothesis tests were used throughout this study. The TRIPOD (Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis) Prediction Model Development checklist was used to structure the research.
RESULTS
This study included 259 participants. Younger (aged <35 years) and female participants showed higher rates of ageusia and anosmia. Participants were aged 41 (SD 13) years on average, and the data set was balanced for sex (female: 134/259, 51.7%; male: 125/259, 48.3%). The analyzed symptom was present in 94 (36.3%) out of 259 participants and in 450 (27.5%) out of 1636 audio recordings. In all, 2 machine learning models were built, one for Android and one for iOS devices, and both had high accuracy-88% for Android and 85% for iOS. The final biomarker was then calculated using these models and internally validated.
CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that people with COVID-19 who have anosmia and ageusia have different voice features from those without these symptoms. Upon further validation, these vocal biomarkers could be nested in digital devices to improve symptom assessment in clinical practice and enhance the telemonitoring of COVID-19-related symptoms.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04380987; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04380987.
PubMed: 36265042
DOI: 10.2196/35622 -
Prevalence of Anosmia and Ageusia in Patients with COVID-19 at a Primary Health Center, Doha, Qatar.Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and... Oct 2022Loss of smell and taste are common complaints in patients with the COVID-19 disease. These symptoms may present alone or with other symptoms. It is of utmost importance...
Loss of smell and taste are common complaints in patients with the COVID-19 disease. These symptoms may present alone or with other symptoms. It is of utmost importance to know their rates of occurrence for better controlling of the infection. The aim of the study was to detect the prevalence of anosmia and ageusia in individuals with COVID-19 in Al-Wajbah Primary Health Center, Doha, Qatar. This retrospective study was conducted at Al-Wajbah Primary Health Center, Doha, Qatar. The study covered the two-month period -May and June 2020. The proven cases of COVID-19 by real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) were enrolled in the study. Data regarding the age, gender, symptomatology including anosmia and ageusia, history of recent travel, smoking, past history of nasal and paranasal diseases (NPND), and severity of the disease were taken from the patients' records. IBM- SPSS version 22 statistical software was used for the analysis of the data. Out of 141, 35 (24.82%) subject presented with anosmia, ageusia or both. Most of the patients were from age group > 30 year ( = 104, 73.76%) with nearly equal gender. The majority of the individuals were without history of recent travel (92.2%) and smoking (80.14%). Three-quarters of the patients were asymptomatic, and 51.06% with a past history of NPND. The male sex, history of recent travel, smoking, and severe course of the disease were positive, highly significant association with anosmia or ageusia. All patients returned to their normal smell and taste sensations within a mean duration of 6.89 days. Loss of taste and smell were common symptomatology of COVID-19 disease. The males, recent travel, smoking, and severe course of the disease were risk factors of the anosmia and ageusia in COVID-19 cases.
PubMed: 32837952
DOI: 10.1007/s12070-020-02064-9 -
The Medical Journal of Malaysia Sep 2020Multiple anecdotal reports suggest that smell and taste loss were early subclinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients. The objective of this review was to identify the... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Multiple anecdotal reports suggest that smell and taste loss were early subclinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients. The objective of this review was to identify the incidence of smell and taste dysfunction in COVID-19, determine the onset of their symptoms and the risk factors of anosmia, hyposmia, ageusia or dysgeusia for COVID-19 infection.
METHODS
We searched the PubMed and Google Scholar on 15th May 2020, with search terms including SARS-COV-2, coronavirus, COVID-19, hyposmia, anosmia, ageusia and dysgeusia. The articles included were cross sectional studies, observational studies and retrospective or prospective audits, letters to editor and short communications that included a study of a cohort of patients. Case reports, case-series and interventional studies were excluded.
DISCUSSION
A total of 16 studies were selected. Incidence of smell and taste dysfunction was higher in Europe (34 to 86%), North America (19 to 71%) and the Middle East (36 to 98%) when compared to the Asian cohorts (11 to 15%) in COVID-19 positive patients. Incidence of smell and taste dysfunction in COVID-19 negative patients was low in comparison (12 to 27%). Total incidence of smell and taste dysfunction from COVID-19 positive and negative patients from seven studies was 20% and 10% respectively. Symptoms may appear just before, concomitantly, or immediately after the onset of the usual symptoms. Occurs predominantly in females. When occurring immediately after the onset of the usual symptoms, the median time of onset was 3.3 to 4.4 days. Symptoms persist for a period of seven to 14 days. Patients with smell and taste dysfunction were reported to have a six to ten-fold odds of having COVID-19.
CONCLUSION
Smell and taste dysfunction has a high incidence in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The incidence was lower in the Asia region. It is a strong risk factor for COVID-19. It may be the only symptom and should be added to the list of symptoms when screening for COVID- 19.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Humans; Incidence; Olfaction Disorders; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 32918429
DOI: No ID Found -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2021The year 2020 became the year of the outbreak of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which escalated into a worldwide pandemic and continued into 2021. One of the unique symptoms... (Review)
Review
The year 2020 became the year of the outbreak of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which escalated into a worldwide pandemic and continued into 2021. One of the unique symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 disease, COVID-19, is the loss of chemical senses, i.e., smell and taste. Smell training is one of the methods used in facilitating recovery of the olfactory sense, and it uses essential oils of lemon, rose, clove, and eucalyptus. These essential oils were not selected based on their chemical constituents. Although scientific studies have shown that they improve recovery, there may be better combinations for facilitating recovery. Many phytochemicals have bioactive properties with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects. In this review, we describe the chemical compounds with anti- inflammatory and anti-viral effects, and we list the plants that contain these chemical compounds. We expand the review from terpenes to the less volatile flavonoids in order to propose a combination of essential oils and diets that can be used to develop a new taste training method, as there has been no taste training so far. Finally, we discuss the possible use of these in clinical settings.
Topics: Ageusia; Anosmia; COVID-19; Humans; Phytochemicals; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19 Drug Treatment
PubMed: 34445619
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168912 -
ACS Chemical Neuroscience May 2020The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which was identified after a recent outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has kept the whole world in tenterhooks due to its...
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which was identified after a recent outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has kept the whole world in tenterhooks due to its severe life-threatening nature of the infection. The virus is unlike its previous counterparts, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, or anything the world has encountered before both in terms of virulence and severity of the infection. If scientific reports relevant to the SARS-CoV-2 virus are noted, it can be seen that the virus owes much of its killer properties to its unique structure that has a stronger binding affinity with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) protein, which the viruses utilize as an entry point to gain accesses to its hosts. Recent reports suggest that it is not just the lung that the virus may be targeting; the human brain may soon emerge as the new abode of the virus. Already instances of patients with COVID-19 have been reported with mild (anosmia and ageusia) to severe (encephalopathy) neurological manifestations, and if that is so, then it gives us more reasons to be frightened of this killer virus. Keeping in mind that the situation does not worsen from here, immediate awareness and more thorough research regarding the neuroinvasive nature of the virus is the immediate need of the hour. Scientists globally also need to up their game to design more specific therapeutic strategies with the available information to counteract the pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we provide a brief outline of the currently known neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and discuss some probable ways to design therapeutic strategies to overcome the present global crisis.
Topics: Aged; Ageusia; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Autopsy; BCG Vaccine; Betacoronavirus; Brain; Brain Diseases; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Cytokines; Humans; Inflammation; MicroRNAs; Olfaction Disorders; Olfactory Mucosa; Pandemics; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Pneumonia, Viral; RNA Interference; Receptors, Nicotinic; SARS-CoV-2; Serine Endopeptidases; Smoking; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
PubMed: 32320211
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00201 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2021The cutaneous manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been covered insufficiently in the literature. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The cutaneous manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been covered insufficiently in the literature.
METHODS
Thirty-nine patients admitted to the study hospital with confirmed COVID-19 who experienced various skin manifestations during hospitalization or in the convalescence period, were analysed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Thirty-nine patients with COVID-19, admitted to the study hospital between 23 March and 12 September 2020, had intra-infectious rash or lesions of cutaneous vasculitis during convalescence. The most common cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 were erythematous and erythematous papular rash. Twenty-seven of the 39 patients had anosmia (69.2%), 26 patients had ageusia (66.7%), 34 patients had pneumonia (87.2%) and 24 patients had intra-infectious enterocolitis (61.5%). Skin biopsies were rarely performed in these patients. This article reports the results of biopsies performed in two patients, showing histopathological and immunohistochemical changes in erythematous rash and erythema multiforme-like lesions. Both skin biopsies revealed early fibrous remodelling of the dermis, suggesting similarity with changes that occur in the lungs and other tissues in patients with COVID-19.
CONCLUSIONS
Correlations between skin lesions and anosmia, ageusia and enteritis in patients with COVID-19 do not seem to be accidental, but are associated with a similar response to ACE2 receptor expression in these tissues.
Topics: Ageusia; Anosmia; COVID-19; Enteritis; Female; Humans; Male; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Skin Diseases
PubMed: 33887455
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.058 -
Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Sep 2020We investigated the prevalence of anosmia and ageusia in adult patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of infection with severe acute respiratory distress... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
We investigated the prevalence of anosmia and ageusia in adult patients with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of infection with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
METHODS
This was a retrospective observational analysis of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 admitted to hospital or managed in the community and their household contacts across a London population during the period March 1st to April 1st, 2020. Symptomatology and duration were extracted from routinely collected clinical data and follow-up telephone consultations. Descriptive statistics were used.
RESULTS
Of 386 patients, 141 (92 community patients, 49 discharged inpatients) were included for analysis; 77/141 (55%) reported anosmia and ageusia, nine reported only ageusia and three only anosmia. The median onset of anosmia in relation to onset of SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) symptoms (as defined by the Public Health England case definition) was 4 days (interquartile range (IQR) 5). Median duration of anosmia was 8 days (IQR 16). Median duration of COVID-19 symptoms in community patients was 10 days (IQR 8) versus 18 days (IQR 13.5) in admitted patients. As of April 1, 45 patients had ongoing COVID-19 symptoms and/or anosmia; 107/141 (76%) patients had household contacts, and of 185 non-tested household contacts 79 (43%) had COVID-19 symptoms with 46/79 (58%) reporting anosmia. Six household contacts had anosmia only.
CONCLUSIONS
Over half of the positive patients reported anosmia and ageusia, suggesting that these should be added to the case definition and used to guide self-isolation protocols. This adaptation may be integral to case findings in the absence of population-level testing. Until we have successful population-level vaccination coverage, these steps remain critical in the current and future waves of this pandemic.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ageusia; Anosmia; COVID-19; Female; Humans; London; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult
PubMed: 32502645
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.05.026 -
European Archives of... Apr 2021The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various otolaryngological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 with regard to age, gender and pneumonia-related...
PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of various otolaryngological symptoms in patients with COVID-19 with regard to age, gender and pneumonia-related thorax CT characteristics.
METHODS
This is a retrospective study conducted between March 25, 2020 and April 25, 2020. The anamnesis and medical files of 155 patients who applied to our outpatient COVID-19 clinic were evaluated. Patients with positive PCR tests for COVID-19 who were aged between 18-72 years were divided into groups according to the presence of otolaryngological symptoms. The differences between the two groups were examined.
RESULTS
Of the 155 patients, 89 (57.4%) had otolaryngological symptoms. The mean age of the patients was 36.3 ± 8.1 years. Ninety-one (58.7%) patients were female, and 64 (42.2%) were male. Fifty-eight (37.4%) patients had received a clinical diagnosis of viral pneumonia with ground glass findings in tomography. The frequency of otolaryngological symptoms was higher in females than males (p: 0.029). The otolaryngological symptoms were also observed to be more frequent in the 18-30 age group (p: 0.013) compared to other age groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Tinnitus, gingivitis, sudden hearing loss, Bell's palsy, and hoarseness can be seen in COVID-19, albeit rarely. Revealing the otolaryngological symptoms of COVID-19, and obtaining more information about the extent of disease will be useful in managing patients and their complaints associated with otolaryngology.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Ageusia; Bell Palsy; COVID-19; COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing; COVID-19 Testing; Female; Gingivitis; Hearing Loss, Sudden; Hoarseness; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Olfaction Disorders; Pandemics; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste; Tinnitus; Young Adult
PubMed: 32875391
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-06319-7