Risk factors and characteristics associated with persistent smell loss in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients

Introduction: Smell and taste loss are characteristic symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients. Methods: We conducted an observational, retrospective study on 376 patients with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza, Italy, from March to July 2020. All patients answered a phone questionnaire providing information on age, sex, smoking status, and clinical characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated through logistic regression models including relevant covariates. Results: The prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients was 33.5 and 35.6%, respectively. Olfactory dysfunctions were significantly directly associated with current smoking and history of allergy, the multivariable ORs being 6.53 (95% CI 1.16–36.86) for current smokers versus never smokers, and 1.89 (95% CI 1.05–3.39) for those with an allergy compared to those without any allergy. Respiratory allergy in particular was significantly associated with olfactory dysfunctions (multivariable OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.02–5.17). Significant inverse associations were observed for patients aged 60 years or more (multivariable OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19–0.57) and hospitalization (multivariable OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06–0.89). Considering gustatory dysfunctions, after allowance of other variables a significant direct association was found for respiratory allergies (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.03–4.86), and an inverse association was found only for hospitalization (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.06–0.76). Conclusion: Our study indicates that current smoking and history of allergy (particularly respiratory) significantly increase the risk for smell loss in COVID-19 patients; the latter is also significantly associated to taste loss. Hospitalization has an inverse association with the risk of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, suggesting that these may be symptoms characteristics of less severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Predicting Olfactory Loss In Chronic Rhinosinusitis Using Machine Learning

Chemical Senses ◽

10.1093/chemse/bjab042 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vijay R Ramakrishnan ◽

Jaron Arbet ◽

Jess C Mace ◽

Krithika Suresh ◽

Stephanie Shintani Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Chronic Rhinosinusitis ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Predictive Analytics ◽

Olfactory Dysfunction ◽

Olfactory Loss ◽

Smell Loss

Abstract Objective Compare machine learning (ML) based predictive analytics methods to traditional logistic regression in classification of olfactory dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS-OD), and identify predictors within a large multi-institutional cohort of refractory CRS patients. Methods Adult CRS patients enrolled in a prospective, multi-institutional, observational cohort study were assessed for baseline CRS-OD using a smell identification test (SIT) or brief SIT (bSIT). Four different ML methods were compared to traditional logistic regression for classification of CRS normosmics versus CRS-OD. Results Data were collected for 611 study participants who met inclusion criteria between April 2011 and July 2015. 34% of enrolled patients demonstrated olfactory loss on psychophysical testing. Differences between CRS normosmics and those with smell loss included objective disease measures (CT and endoscopy scores), age, sex, prior surgeries, socioeconomic status, steroid use, polyp presence, asthma, and aspirin sensitivity. Most ML methods performed favorably in terms of predictive ability. Top predictors include factors previously reported in the literature, as well as several socioeconomic factors. Conclusion Olfactory dysfunction is a variable phenomenon in CRS patients. ML methods perform well compared to traditional logistic regression in classification of normosmia versus smell loss in CRS, and are able to include numerous risk factors into prediction models. Several actionable features were identified as risk factors for CRS-OD. These results suggest that ML methods may be useful for current understanding and future study of hyposmia secondary to sinonasal disease, the most common cause of persistent olfactory loss in the general population.

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COVID Smell Tracker: A research-based mobile application to study smell loss in subjects with COVID-19 (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.29456 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aykut Unsal

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Smart Phone ◽

Mobile App ◽

Blood Type ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Younger Age ◽

The World ◽

Novel Method ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Smell Loss

BACKGROUND Smell loss has been an established symptom of the novel coronavirus. Despite this, the risk factors associated with potential smell loss has not been clearly established. An app was developed and utilized to collect demographics and subjective otolaryngology symptoms from volunteers across the world in order to determine outcomes and risk factors as it pertains specifically to anosmia. OBJECTIVE COVID Smell Tracker” is a smart phone application (app) developed to elucidate the onset, duration and risk factors associated with COVID-related smell loss. METHODS The app is publicly available on smartphone devices (www.covidsmelltracker.org). Users complete surveys around demographics, medical history, COVID status and symptomology. Deidentified responses were collated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Of the 266 users included, the majority were located in Europe (43%) and North America (33%). Male, Caucasian users were most common (54.9% and 61.7% respectively), followed by Indian (10.5%) and Latino (9.4%). The majority of users reported no COVID testing (63%). 164 users reported COVID-related symptoms, and 57% of them reported olfactory dysfunction. User whom were younger age (p = 0.0003) and with type A and B blood types (p = 0.021) experienced smell loss at higher frequencies. Dysgeusia was associated with 28-34% of patients with concomitant smell loss, versus 6%-9% in users without. Smell loss was described ass “sudden” (63%), occurring on average 3 days following the onset of any other symptom. Of those that reported resolution of their smell loss, 50% resolved in 1 week, with 75% resolution reported within 1 month. CONCLUSIONS The results herein correlate with other established COVID-related studies, despite relying on purely volunteered data from participants from around the world. This is the first study to suggest an association of age and blood type with smell loss, and requires further investigation. Mobile app use offers a novel method for safe, remote and granular insight into those suffering from infectious diseases like COVID-19.

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Elevated level of circulatory sTLT1 induces inflammation through SYK/MEK/ERK signalling in coronary artery disease

Clinical Science ◽

10.1042/cs20190999 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 133 (22) ◽

pp. 2283-2299

Author(s):

Apabrita Ayan Das ◽

Devasmita Chakravarty ◽

Debmalya Bhunia ◽

Surajit Ghosh ◽

Prakash C. Mandal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coronary Artery Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Chronic Inflammation ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Critical Role ◽

Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Artery Disease

Abstract The role of inflammation in all phases of atherosclerotic process is well established and soluble TREM-like transcript 1 (sTLT1) is reported to be associated with chronic inflammation. Yet, no information is available about the involvement of sTLT1 in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Present study was undertaken to determine the pathophysiological significance of sTLT1 in atherosclerosis by employing an observational study on human subjects (n=117) followed by experiments in human macrophages and atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E (apoE)−/− mice. Plasma level of sTLT1 was found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher in clinical (2342 ± 184 pg/ml) and subclinical cases (1773 ± 118 pg/ml) than healthy controls (461 ± 57 pg/ml). Moreover, statistical analyses further indicated that sTLT1 was not only associated with common risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in both clinical and subclinical groups but also strongly correlated with disease severity. Ex vivo studies on macrophages showed that sTLT1 interacts with Fcɣ receptor I (FcɣRI) to activate spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK)-mediated downstream MAP kinase signalling cascade to activate nuclear factor-κ B (NF-kB). Activation of NF-kB induces secretion of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) from macrophage cells that plays pivotal role in governing the persistence of chronic inflammation. Atherosclerotic apoE−/− mice also showed high levels of sTLT1 and TNF-α in nearly occluded aortic stage indicating the contribution of sTLT1 in inflammation. Our results clearly demonstrate that sTLT1 is clinically related to the risk factors of CAD. We also showed that binding of sTLT1 with macrophage membrane receptor, FcɣR1 initiates inflammatory signals in macrophages suggesting its critical role in thrombus development and atherosclerosis.

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Hearing Loss Risk Factors and Strategies in Rural Areas

Perspectives on Aural Rehabilitation and Its Instrumentation ◽

10.1044/arii12.1.17 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 17-20

Author(s):

Gregory A. Flamme

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Rural Areas

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The Preschool Stuttering Screen for Health Care Professionals

Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders ◽

10.1044/ffd21.2.59 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 59-62

Author(s):

Joseph Donaher ◽

Christina Deery ◽

Sarah Vogel

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Health Care ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Developmental Profile

Healthcare professionals require a thorough understanding of stuttering since they frequently play an important role in the identification and differential diagnosis of stuttering for preschool children. This paper introduces The Preschool Stuttering Screen for Healthcare Professionals (PSSHP) which highlights risk factors identified in the literature as being associated with persistent stuttering. By integrating the results of the checklist with a child’s developmental profile, healthcare professionals can make better-informed, evidence-based decisions for their patients.

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Clinical Response to Questions Regarding Outcomes and Therapy Efficacy

Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders ◽

10.1044/ffd20.3.76 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 76-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joseph Donaher ◽

Tom Gurrister ◽

Irving Wollman ◽

Tim Mackesey ◽

Michelle L. Burnett

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Clinical Response ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Specific Therapy ◽

Therapy Efficacy ◽

Therapy Program ◽

Adults Who Stutter ◽

Cure Rates

Parents of children who stutter and adults who stutter frequently ask speech-language pathologists to predict whether or not therapy will work. Even though research has explored risk-factors related to persistent stuttering, there remains no way to determine how an individual will react to a specific therapy program. This paper presents various clinicians’answers to the question, “What do you tell parents or adults who stutter when they ask about cure rates, outcomes, and therapy efficacy?”

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