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Neuroscience Letters Mar 2021Patients with COVID-19 often complain of smell and taste disorders (STD). STD emerge early in the course of the disease, seem to be more common in SARS-CoV-2 infection... (Review)
Review
Patients with COVID-19 often complain of smell and taste disorders (STD). STD emerge early in the course of the disease, seem to be more common in SARS-CoV-2 infection than in other upper respiratory tract infections, and could in some cases persist for long after resolution of respiratory symptoms. Current evidence suggests that STD probably result from a loss of function of olfactory sensory neurons and taste buds, mainly caused by infection, inflammation, and subsequent dysfunction of supporting non-neuronal cells in the mucosa. However, the possible occurrence of other mechanisms leading to chemosensory dysfunction has also been hypothesized, and contrasting data have been reported regarding the direct infection of sensory neurons by SARS-CoV-2. In this mini-review, we summarize the currently available literature on pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and outcomes of STD in COVID-19 and discuss possible future directions of research on this topic.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Mouth Mucosa; Olfaction Disorders; Olfactory Mucosa; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste; Taste Buds; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 33600902
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135694 -
PloS One 2021Qualitative olfactory (smell) dysfunctions are a common side effect of post-viral illness and known to impact quality of life and health status. Evidence is emerging...
BACKGROUND
Qualitative olfactory (smell) dysfunctions are a common side effect of post-viral illness and known to impact quality of life and health status. Evidence is emerging that taste and smell loss are common symptoms of Covid-19 that may emerge and persist long after initial infection. The aim of the present study was to document the impact of post Covid-19 alterations to taste and smell.
METHODS
We conducted exploratory thematic analysis of user-generated text from 9000 users of the AbScent Covid-19 Smell and Taste Loss moderated Facebook support group from March 24 to 30th September 2020.
RESULTS
Participants reported difficulty explaining and managing an altered sense of taste and smell; a lack of interpersonal and professional explanation or support; altered eating; appetite loss, weight change; loss of pleasure in food, eating and social engagement; altered intimacy and an altered relationship to self and others.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest altered taste and smell with Covid-19 may lead to severe disruption to daily living that impacts on psychological well-being, physical health, relationships and sense of self. More specifically, participants reported impacts that related to reduced desire and ability to eat and prepare food; weight gain, weight loss and nutritional insufficiency; emotional wellbeing; professional practice; intimacy and social bonding; and the disruption of people's sense of reality and themselves. Our findings should inform further research and suggest areas for the training, assessment and treatment practices of health care professionals working with long Covid.
Topics: Adult; Anosmia; COVID-19; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Olfactory Perception; SARS-CoV-2; Taste Disorders; Taste Perception; Time Factors
PubMed: 34559820
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256998 -
Reviews in Medical Virology Jan 2022Initially, it was reported that coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid-19) affects respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological systems, but the oral, olfactory and... (Review)
Review
Initially, it was reported that coronavirus 2019 disease (Covid-19) affects respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological systems, but the oral, olfactory and integumentary systems are also involved. This review discusses various oral manifestations of Covid-19 reported in the literature along with possible underlying mechanisms. The reported manifestations include taste impairment, oral mucosal changes (petechiae, ulcers, plaque-like lesions, reactivation of herpes simplex virus 1(HSV1), geographical tongue and desquamative gingivitis) and dry mouth. The prominent location for mucosal lesions are tongue, palate and labial mucosa. The exact pathogenesis of these oral symptoms is not known. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptors are expressed in abundance on oral mucosa allowing severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) to infect them. Gustatory impairment along with olfactory changes is now listed as a symptom of Covid-19 by the World Health Organization, but further research is needed to confirm a link between reported additional oral symptoms and Covid-19. Dental professionals may encounter individuals with Covid-19 and be called upon to identify various oral manifestations of this disease.
Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; COVID-19; Dysgeusia; Humans; Mouth Diseases; Mouth Mucosa; SARS-CoV-2; Taste Disorders; Xerostomia
PubMed: 34028129
DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2248 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Jul 2022
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Prognosis; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 35947733
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.o1653 -
CA: a Cancer Journal For Clinicians 2012Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Oral complications resulting from cancer and cancer therapies cause acute and late toxicities that may be underreported,... (Review)
Review
Answer questions and earn CME/CNE Oral complications resulting from cancer and cancer therapies cause acute and late toxicities that may be underreported, underrecognized, and undertreated. Recent advances in cancer treatment have led to changes in the incidence, nature, and severity of oral complications. As the number of survivors increases, it is becoming increasingly recognized that the aggressive management of oral toxicities is needed to ensure optimal long-term oral health and general well-being. Advances in care have had an impact on previously recognized oral complications and are leading to newly recognized adverse effects. Here, the authors briefly review advances in cancer therapy, including recent advances in surgery, oral care, radiation therapy, hematopoietic cell transplantation, and medical oncology; describe how these advances affect oral health; and discuss the frequent and/or severe oral health complications associated with cancer and cancer treatment and their effect upon long-term health. Although some of the acute oral toxicities of cancer therapies may be reduced, they remain essentially unavoidable. The significant impact of long-term complications requires increased awareness and recognition to promote prevention and appropriate intervention. It is therefore important for the primary oncologist to be aware of these complications so that appropriate measures can be implemented in a timely manner. Prevention and management is best provided via multidisciplinary health care teams, which must be integrated and communicate effectively in order to provide the best patient care in a coordinated manner at the appropriate time.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Candidiasis, Oral; Dental Caries; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Facial Pain; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasms, Second Primary; Olfaction Disorders; Oral Health; Oral Ulcer; Osteoradionecrosis; Periodontitis; Quality of Life; Radiotherapy; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Sialorrhea; Stomatitis; Taste Disorders; Tooth Demineralization; Trismus; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 22972543
DOI: 10.3322/caac.21157 -
Nature Medicine May 2021Despite signs of infection-including taste loss, dry mouth and mucosal lesions such as ulcerations, enanthema and macules-the involvement of the oral cavity in...
Despite signs of infection-including taste loss, dry mouth and mucosal lesions such as ulcerations, enanthema and macules-the involvement of the oral cavity in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is poorly understood. To address this, we generated and analyzed two single-cell RNA sequencing datasets of the human minor salivary glands and gingiva (9 samples, 13,824 cells), identifying 50 cell clusters. Using integrated cell normalization and annotation, we classified 34 unique cell subpopulations between glands and gingiva. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral entry factors such as ACE2 and TMPRSS members were broadly enriched in epithelial cells of the glands and oral mucosae. Using orthogonal RNA and protein expression assessments, we confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the glands and mucosae. Saliva from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals harbored epithelial cells exhibiting ACE2 and TMPRSS expression and sustained SARS-CoV-2 infection. Acellular and cellular salivary fractions from asymptomatic individuals were found to transmit SARS-CoV-2 ex vivo. Matched nasopharyngeal and saliva samples displayed distinct viral shedding dynamics, and salivary viral burden correlated with COVID-19 symptoms, including taste loss. Upon recovery, this asymptomatic cohort exhibited sustained salivary IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Collectively, these data show that the oral cavity is an important site for SARS-CoV-2 infection and implicate saliva as a potential route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Asymptomatic Infections; COVID-19; Humans; Mouth; SARS-CoV-2; Saliva; Serine Endopeptidases; Taste Disorders; Virus Replication
PubMed: 33767405
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01296-8 -
Oral Diseases Nov 2022The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus quickly spread globally, infecting over half a billion individuals, and killing over 6 million*. One of the more unusual... (Review)
Review
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus quickly spread globally, infecting over half a billion individuals, and killing over 6 million*. One of the more unusual symptoms was patients' complaints of sudden loss of smell and/or taste, a symptom that has become more apparent as the virus mutated into different variants. Anosmia and ageusia, the loss of smell and taste, respectively, seem to be transient for some individuals, but for others persists even after recovery from the infection. Causes for COVID-19-associated chemosensory loss have undergone several hypotheses. These include non-functional or destroyed olfactory neurons and gustatory receptors or of their supporting cells, disruption of the signaling protein Neuropilin-1, and disruption in the interaction with semaphorins, key molecules in the gustatory and olfactory axon guidance. The current paper will review these hypotheses and chart out potential therapeutic avenues.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Taste Disorders; Olfaction Disorders; Anosmia
PubMed: 35790059
DOI: 10.1111/odi.14300 -
Pharmacological Reports : PR Dec 2022In December 2019, cases of pneumonia caused by infection with the previously unknown severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to coronavirus... (Review)
Review
In December 2019, cases of pneumonia caused by infection with the previously unknown severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), were identified. Typical manifestations of COVID-19 are fever, cough, fatigue and dyspnoea. Initially, it was thought that the mechanism of action of SARS-CoV-2 was only associated with respiratory tract invasion, but it was later revealed that the infection might involve many other organs and systems, including the central and peripheral nervous systems. Neurological complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection include encephalopathy, encephalitis, meningitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. In cases of peripheral nervous system involvement, smell and taste disorders, myopathy or the signs and symptoms of Guillain‒Barré syndrome are observed. The most common early neurological complications, particularly during the first year of the epidemic, were anosmia and taste disorders, which, according to some studies, occurred in over 80 percent of patients with COVID-19. The proportion of patients with serious neurological manifestations was small compared to the global number of patients, but the numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and critical patients increased substantially. The experience from 2 years of the pandemic has shown that approximately 13% of infected patients suffer from severe neurological complications. The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and the nervous system is not only a cause of neurological complications in previously healthy individuals but also directly and indirectly affects the courses of many nervous system diseases.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 36180640
DOI: 10.1007/s43440-022-00424-6 -
European Archives of... Nov 2023Olfactory dysfunction (OD) commonly accompanies coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the kinetics of OD resolution following SARS-CoV-2 infection... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
PURPOSE
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) commonly accompanies coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the kinetics of OD resolution following SARS-CoV-2 infection (wild-type and alpha variant) and its impact on quality of life, physical and mental health.
METHODS
OD prevalence was assessed in an ambulatory COVID-19 survey (n = 906, ≥ 90 days follow-up) and an observational cohort of ambulatory and hospitalized individuals (n = 108, 360 days follow-up). Co-occurrence of OD with other symptoms and effects on quality of life, physical and mental health were analyzed by multi-dimensional scaling, association rule mining and semi-supervised clustering.
RESULTS
Both in the ambulatory COVID-19 survey study (72%) and the observational ambulatory and hospitalized cohort (41%) self-reported OD was frequent during acute COVID-19. Recovery from self-reported OD was slow (survey: median 28 days, observational cohort: 90 days). By clustering of the survey data, we identified a predominantly young, female, comorbidity-free group of convalescents with persistent OD and taste disorders (median recovery: 90 days) but low frequency of post-acute fatigue, respiratory or neurocognitive symptoms. This smell and taste disorder cluster was characterized by a high rating of physical performance, mental health, and quality of life as compared with convalescents affected by prolonged fatigue or neurocognitive complaints.
CONCLUSION
Our results underline the heterogeneity of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae calling for tailored management strategies. The persistent smell and taste disorder phenotype is characterized by good clinical, physical, and mental recovery and may pose a minor challenge for public health.
STUDY REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04661462 (survey study), NCT04416100 (observational cohort).
Topics: Female; Humans; COVID-19; Olfaction Disorders; Quality of Life; SARS-CoV-2; Smell; Taste; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 37670171
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-023-08163-x -
BMC Neurology Feb 2020Taste disorder is a common symptom in the general population. Several studies have shown that patients with neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...
BACKGROUND
Taste disorder is a common symptom in the general population. Several studies have shown that patients with neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, develop taste disturbance. Facial onset sensory and motor neuronopathy (FOSMN) is a rare disease characterized by sensory disturbance and weakness spreading from the face to the limbs caudally. We describe a patient with FOSMN who showed taste disorder as the sole initial symptom.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 49-year-old man who smoked cigarettes developed taste disturbance. Despite using zinc supplements, an herbal medication, and an ointment, his taste disorder worsened. 4 years later, a tingling feeling emerged at the tip of his tongue and gradually spread to his entire lips. At 55 years of age, he showed difficulty in swallowing, followed by facial paresthesia, muscle atrophy, and weakness in the face and upper limbs without apparent upper motor neuron sign. Cessation of smoking did not improve his taste disturbance, and he was unable to discriminate different tastes on the entire tongue. In an electrogustometric study, electrical stimulation did not induce any type of taste sensation. Blink reflex showed delayed or diminished R2 responses. Needle electromyography revealed severe chronic neurogenic changes in the tongue and masseter muscles. Mild chronic neurogenic changes were also observed in the limbs. In the thoracic paraspinal muscles, active neurogenic changes were detected. Findings of hematological and cerebrospinal fluid analyses, and magnetic resonance images of the brain and spinal cord were unremarkable. One cycle of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy did not improve his symptoms. We diagnosed him as having FOSMN with the sole initial symptom of taste disorder. Nine years after the onset of taste disorder, he developed impaired sensation of touch in the right upper limb and required tube feeding and ventilator support.
CONCLUSION
Taste disorder can be the initial manifestation of FOSMN and might involve the solitary nucleus.
Topics: Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuromuscular Diseases; Taste Disorders
PubMed: 32113480
DOI: 10.1186/s12883-020-01639-x