scholarly journals Comparison of COVID-19 and common cold chemosensory dysfunction

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 623-625
Author(s):  
C. Huart ◽  
C. Philpott ◽  
I. Konstantinidis ◽  
A. Altundag ◽  
K.L. Whitcroft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Roc Curves ◽  
Olfactory Dysfunction ◽  
Common Symptom ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Prominent Symptom ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Chemosensory Function ◽  
Psychophysical Tests

Anosmia constitutes a prominent symptom of COVID-19. However, anosmia is also a common symptom of acute colds of various origins. In contrast to an acute cold, it appears from several questionnaire-based studies that in the context of COVID-19 infection, anosmia is the main rhinological symptom and is usually not associated with other rhinological symptoms such as rhinorrhoea or nasal obstruction. Until now, no study has directly compared smell and taste function between COVID-19 patients and patients with other causes of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) using valid and reliable psychophysical tests. In this study, we aimed to objectively assess and compare olfactory and gustatory functions in 10 COVID-19 patients (PCR diagnosed, assessed on average 2 weeks after infection), 10 acute cold (AC) patients (assessed before the COVID-19 outbreak) and 10 healthy controls, matched for age and sex. Smell performance was assessed using the extended "Sniffin' Sticks" test battery (4), while taste function was assessed using "taste strips" (5). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were built to probe olfactory and gustatory scores in terms of their discrimination between COVID-19 and AC patients. Our results suggest that mechanisms of COVID-19 related olfactory dysfunction are different from those seen in an AC and may reflect, at least to some extent, a specific involvement at the level of central nervous system in some COVID-19 patients. In the future, studies to assess the prevalence of persistent anosmia and neuroanatomical changes on MRI correlated to chemosensory function, will be useful to understand these mechanisms.

scholarly journals Clinical effects of two combinations of olfactory agents on olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection during olfactory training

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Feng Qiao ◽  
Yin-Huan Bai ◽  
Guo-Ping Wang ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Wei Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Tract Infection ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infection ◽  
Therapeutic Effect ◽  
Odor Discrimination ◽  
Olfactory Dysfunction ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Olfactory Training

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE To compare two combinations of olfactory agents for olfactory training therapy of olfactory dysfunction after upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and investigate the influencing factors on clinical effects. METHODS 125 patients with olfactory dysfunction were randomly divided into two groups: test and control. During the olfactory training, four odors were used in both groups. The olfactory training lasted for 24 weeks. Then, participants were tested using Sniffin’ Sticks and threshold-discrimination-identification (TDI) composite scoring before treatment and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. The TDI scores were compared at different time points between the groups and within them, and influence factors were analyzed. RESULTS There was no significant difference in TDI scores between both groups. Furthermore, TDI scores did not significantly change after one month of treatment in either of the groups. After 3 and 6 months of treatment, TDI scores both significantly increased, and the odor discrimination and identification abilities significantly strengthened in both groups; however, the odor thresholds did not improve. The course of the disease was a significant influencing factor on the therapeutic effect of olfactory training for both groups. CONCLUSION The combination of essential balm, vinegar, alcohol, and rose perfume for olfactory training, which are scents commonly found in daily life, can effectively cure URTI-induced olfactory dysfunction, and significantly improve the odor discrimination and identification abilities. Furthermore, prolonging the treatment time can help with the recovery of olfactory functions, and earlier olfactory training can improve the therapeutic effect.

scholarly journals Analysis of Ear, Nose and Throat Manifestations in COVID-19 Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. e343-e348
Author(s):  
Mohammad Waheed El-Anwar ◽  
Mohamed Eesa ◽  
Waleed Mansour ◽  
Lamia G. Zake ◽  
Ehsan Hendawy
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Sore Throat ◽  
Nasal Congestion ◽  
Olfactory Dysfunction ◽  
Fever Hospital ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Nose And Throat

Abstract Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically spread all over the world, crossing the borders of all countries. It is presented mainly by lower respiratory tract symptoms such as fever, cough, dyspnea, and chest tightness. However, COVID-19 causes different upper respiratory tract-related symptoms including nasal congestion, sore throat, and olfactory dysfunction. Objective To discuss different ear, nose and throat (ENT) manifestations in COVID-19-positive patients and their relation to other manifestations and to the severity of COVID-19. Methods We detected ENT manifestations in polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed positive COVID-19 patients at Zagazig Isolation Hospitals (Zagazig University hospitals, Zagazig Chest hospital, Al-Ahrar hospital, and Zagazig Fever hospital) with proportional allocation in the period from April 15 to June 15, 2020. All patients were subjected to full history taking and COVID-19 was categorized into 4 classes of severity after all patients underwent computed tomography (CT) of the chest. Afterwards, the collected data was analyzed and compared. Results Among the included 120 COVID-19 patients, the most frequent reported ENT manifestations were; sore throat (30%), nasal congestion (28.3%), nasal obstruction (26.7%), sneezing (26.6%), headache (25%), smell and taste dysfunction (25%), rhinorrhea (20%), upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (15%), and tonsil enlargement (10%). The most common non-ENT manifestations were fever (88.3%), cough (63.3%), and dyspnea (45%). Conclusion Fever and cough are the dominant symptoms of COVID-19, but ENT manifestations for COVID-19 are common and should be a part of the suspected clinical criteria for COVID-19, particularly if the nasal examination was nonsignificant. The most common symptoms are sore throat, followed by nasal congestion and obstruction, headache, and lastly, olfactory dysfunction.

scholarly journals Rhinology in review: from COVID-19 to biologicals

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
W.J. Fokkens ◽  
B.N. Landis ◽  
C. Hopkins ◽  
S. Reitsma ◽  
A.R. Sedaghat
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Olfactory Dysfunction ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Chronic Rhinitis ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Tract Infections

We look back at the end of what soon will be seen as an historic year, from COVID-19 to real-world introduction of biologicals influencing the life of our patients. This review describes the important findings in Rhinology over the past year. A large body of evidence now demonstrates loss of sense of smell to be one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 infection; a meta-analysis of 3563 patients found the mean prevalence of self-reported loss to be 47%. A number of studies have now shown long-term reduced loss of smell and parosmia. Given the high numbers of people affected by COVID-19, even with the best reported recovery rates, a significant number worldwide will be left with severe olfactory dysfunction. The most prevalent causes for olfactory dysfunction, besides COVID-19 and upper respiratory tract infections in general, are trauma and CRSwNP. For these CRSwNP patients a bright future seems to be starting with the development of treatment with biologics. This year the Nobel prize in Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch which has greatly enhanced our understanding of nasal hyperreactivity and understanding of intranasal trigeminal function. Finally, a new definition of chronic rhinitis has been proposed in the last year and we have seen many papers emphasizing the importance of endotyping patients in chronic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis in order to optimise treatment effect.

scholarly journals Amplification of human β-glucoronidase gene for appraising the accuracy of negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results in upper respiratory tract specimens

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliseo Albert ◽  
Blanca Ferrer ◽  
Ignacio Torres ◽  
Alicia Serrano ◽  
Maria Jesus Alcaraz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Roc Curve Analysis ◽  
True Negative ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Real-time reverse transcription polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the mainstay of Covid-19 diagnosis. False-negative RT-PCR results may hamper clinical management of patients and hinder the adoption of epidemiological measures to control the pandemic. The current study was aimed at assessing whether amplification of β-glucoronidase (GUSB) gene would help estimate the accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative results in upper respiratory tract (URT) specimens. URT specimens that tested negative by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR displayed higher GUSB RT-PCR cycle thresholds (CT) (P=0.070) than those testing positive (median, 30.7; range, 27.0-40.0, and median 29.7; range 25.5-36.8, respectively), this reflecting poorer cellularity. Receiver operating characteristic (roc) curve analysis indicated that a CT threshold of 31.2 discriminated best between positive and negative SARS CoV-2 RT-PCRs (area under a curve, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50-0.81; P=0.08). This cut-off yielded a true negative ratio of 89% and accuracy of 70%. The data suggested that amplification of the GUSB gene by RT-PCR may help to appraise the accuracy of negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results in patients in whom Covid-19 is eventually diagnosed.

Allergy of the Upper Respiratory Tract

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack D. Clemis ◽  
Eugene L. Derlacki
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Upper Respiratory
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